MURRAY, Ky. – The Toledo softball team opened the weekend with a pair of victories over IUPUI and Western Illinois on the opening day of Murray State's Velvet Milkman Classic in Murray, Ky.
The Rockets rallied with three runs in the fifth inning to defeat the Jaguars 5-4 in the opening game, and then followed it up with an offensive onslaught in a 10-6 victory over the Leathernecks in the late afternoon contest.
JuniorsÂ
Eli Enriquez had four hits on the day and
Kendra VanderLugt knocked in three runs to pace the offense.
Enriquez, senior
Lexi Eckman and fifth-year senior
Riley Mohr each banged out two hits at the top of the lineup to lead the Rocket attack in the win over IUPUI. JuniorsÂ
Kylee Graham allowed one hit in two innings vs. IUPUI, while
Sophia Knight came on in relief to pitch for the last five innings, allowing just one unearned run.
The Rockets scored 10 runs on 13 hits and smacked a school-record eight doubles, including six in the third inning, in the win over Western Illinois. Senior
Lauren Erickson paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Knight recorded six strikeouts, including the 200
th of her career, in 5.2 innings to pick up the win.
Toledo (4-1) will be back tomorrow with another doubleheader starting with Western Illinois at 9:00 a.m. followed by Murray State at 2:00 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One
Toledo 5, IUPUI 4
- IUPUI struck first with two unearned runs in the opening frame and one run in the second inning.
- Toledo rallied with two runs in the third off back-to-back doubles from Lexi Eckman and Riley Mohr.
- The Jaguars doubled their lead with a solo homer in the fifth to make it a 4-2 game.
- UT flipped the script with RBI singles from Jenna Kroll, Kendra VanderLugt, and Emily Bracamonte to take a 5-4 lead.
- Sophia Knight struck out the side in the seventh to end the game.
Game Two
Toledo 10, Western Illinois 6
- Eli Enriquez gave Toledo a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first.
- Western Illinois tied the game 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning off a throwing error.
- UT churned out six doubles and scored on an error to push ahead 8-1 in the third.
- Toledo added a run in the fifth off a SAC fly from Leah Tipple.
- The Leathernecks hit an RBI double and a three-run homer to cut the Rockets' lead to 9-6.
- Kendra VanderLugt hit a sacrifice fly to center to make it 10-6 in the last frame.
- Western Illinois went down on a pop fly, line out, and ground out to end the game.