ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – The Toledo baseball team jumped out to another early lead and stymied a comeback bid in an 8-5 midweek victory against Oakland at Oakland Baseball Field on Wednesday.
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The Rockets (20-25) grabbed a 5-1 lead in the third and extended the advantage to 7-2 in the fifth. Toledo then held off a late rally by the Golden Grizzlies (13-33), who cut the lead to 7-5 in the seventh but could draw no closer.
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Toledo, winners of seven of its last 10, reached 20 wins for the fifth consecutive season.
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Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"We played a solid game today. We executed on offense and got good pitching and defense. After two midweek games, we can finally set our sights on this upcoming rivalry weekend."
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Top Rocket Hitters
- Kaleb Herbert – 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, 1 R, 1 2B
- Cole Cahill – 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 2B
- Charlie Scholvin – 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 HBP
Pitching LinesÂ
- Ryan Kennedy – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks
- Ryan Hughes – 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks
- Brennan McCune – 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 Ks
- RJ Shunck – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
How It Happened
- Oakland got on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning.
- The Rockets scored five times in the third for a 5-1 lead. Toledo executed a double steal where Josh Cote scored, before Troy Sudbrook grabbed the lead on a sacrifice fly.
- Charlie Scholvin and Cole Cahill plated runs on RBI singles before a failed pickoff attempt closed the inning's scoring.
- Toledo then took a 7-2 in the 5th on a Cam Gravelle RBI groundout and a Kaleb Herbert RBI single.
- Oakland got back within 7-5 on an RBI double and single followed by a double steal. However, Rocket pitching would end the rally with the tying run at the plate.
- Herbert provided a sacrifice fly to make the game 8-5 with an eighth-inning insurance run.
Up NextÂ
The Rockets return to Toledo for a three-game series in the Battle of I-75 this weekend. The series opener on Friday, May 2 will be at Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens, beginning at 7:00 p.m. on BCSN and ESPN+. Tickets are available for Friday at UTRockets.com/UTvsBG.
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