Saturday, May 2
Toledo, Ohio
1:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
22-24, 16-9
5
vs
4
Ball State
21-24, 14-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball St. | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| Toledo | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 9 | 0 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Frey, Hayden (5-2)
L: Brendan Garza (4-4)
S: Swanson, Deron (2)
Batting:
HR: Jacob Gillis 1 ; Kenskey Thomas 1
RBI: Jacob Gillis 1 ; Kenskey Thomas 1 ; Taber Stokes 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brayden Huebner 1 ; Jacob Gillis 1 ; Kenskey Thomas 2
CS: Gavin Balius 1 ; Taber Stokes 1
HBP: Max Kalk 1
Batting:
2B: Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Payne, Jacob 1
HR: Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Wagner, JP 1
RBI: Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Scholvin, Charlie 1 ; Payne, Jacob 1 ; Wagner, JP 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Arsich, Liam 1 ; Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Scholvin, Charlie 1 ; Payne, Jacob 1 ; Wagner, JP 1
HBP: Scholvin, Charlie 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballC/1B
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
Catcher Jacob Payne had a 3-for-3 day at the plate, including an RBI single that held as the winner in Toledo's 5-4 win over Ball State on Saturday.
Photo by: Bree Bee
Rockets Earn Series Win in 5-4 Triumph over Ball State
5/2/2026 4:49:00 PM | Baseball
JP Wagner and Troy Sudbrook homer; Jacob Payne plates winning run in 3-for-3 day
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team earned another Mid-American Conference series victory in a 5-4 triumph over Ball State at Scott Park on Saturday.
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After taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame, the Rockets (23-24, 17-9 MAC) re-took the lead with home runs in the second and fifth innings. Up 5-3 after five innings, Rocket pitching shut down the Cardinals (21-25, 14-12 MAC) over the final four frames, including getting out of a jam in the seventh to keep the lead. Toledo won its fifth-straight game overall to tie a season-long winning streak and their fourth-straight MAC game. The Rockets also have won six of nine conference series this season.
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Junior Jacob Payne collected a three-hit game with a walk, including an RBI single in the fifth inning which plated the eventual winning run. Junior Troy Sudbrook and freshman Liam Arsich each had multi-hit outings. Sudbrook and junior JP Wagner both hit home runs on the day, with Sudbrook's representing the go-ahead run in the fifth. Sudbrook also kept pace with his national lead in doubles with his 27th of the season.
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Freshman Hayden Frey (5-2) threw six strong innings, allowing three runs on four hits, and striking out four batters. He finished his outing with a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Graduate student Deron Swanson earned his second save, allowing one run over the final three innings with five strikeouts.
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The Rockets will look for the sweep on Sunday. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m. from Scott Park.
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Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"That was another huge win for us. We got a good start out of Hayden Frey and Deron Swanson was awesome at the end. The offense battled all day vs. Ball State's ace and got him out in the middle of the game. We had some huge swings by JP Wagner with a two-run homer and Jacob Payne with a two-out RBI that ended up being the winning run. Tomorrow is a new day. It's been a long time since we swept Ball State. We just need to keep playing solid baseball and take care of business tomorrow."
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Top Rocket Hitters
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After taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame, the Rockets (23-24, 17-9 MAC) re-took the lead with home runs in the second and fifth innings. Up 5-3 after five innings, Rocket pitching shut down the Cardinals (21-25, 14-12 MAC) over the final four frames, including getting out of a jam in the seventh to keep the lead. Toledo won its fifth-straight game overall to tie a season-long winning streak and their fourth-straight MAC game. The Rockets also have won six of nine conference series this season.
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Junior Jacob Payne collected a three-hit game with a walk, including an RBI single in the fifth inning which plated the eventual winning run. Junior Troy Sudbrook and freshman Liam Arsich each had multi-hit outings. Sudbrook and junior JP Wagner both hit home runs on the day, with Sudbrook's representing the go-ahead run in the fifth. Sudbrook also kept pace with his national lead in doubles with his 27th of the season.
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Freshman Hayden Frey (5-2) threw six strong innings, allowing three runs on four hits, and striking out four batters. He finished his outing with a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Graduate student Deron Swanson earned his second save, allowing one run over the final three innings with five strikeouts.
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The Rockets will look for the sweep on Sunday. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m. from Scott Park.
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Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"That was another huge win for us. We got a good start out of Hayden Frey and Deron Swanson was awesome at the end. The offense battled all day vs. Ball State's ace and got him out in the middle of the game. We had some huge swings by JP Wagner with a two-run homer and Jacob Payne with a two-out RBI that ended up being the winning run. Tomorrow is a new day. It's been a long time since we swept Ball State. We just need to keep playing solid baseball and take care of business tomorrow."
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Top Rocket Hitters
- Jacob Payne – 3-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 2B, 1 BB
- Liam Arsich – 2-for-4, 1 run
- Troy Sudbrook – 2-for-4, HR (9), 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB
- JP Wagner – 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBIs, 1 run
- Hayden Frey (W, 5-2) – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 Ks
- Deron Swanson (SAVE, 2) – 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks
- Liam Arsich singled and Troy Sudbrook doubled to start the first, leading to an RBI groundout by Charlie Scholvin to put Toledo up 1-0.
- The Cardinals scored twice in the second off a solo home run by Jacob Gillis and an RBI groundout with the bases loaded.
- JP Wagner responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second to re-take the lead for UT, 3-2.
- BSU put runners on the corners with no outs in the third and scored on a double play to tie the game, but the twin-killer limited further damage.
- Sudbrook launched a solo home run to lead off the fifth to give the Rockets a 4-3 lead. Jacob Payne then delivered a two-out RBI single later in the inning for a 5-3 edge.
- Back-to-back singles put runners on the corners with no outs in the seventh, but Deron Swanson got two strikeouts and a foulout to end the inning with no damage.
- Kenskey Thomas homered to lead off the ninth to cut the deficit to 5-4, but two strikeouts ended the game with the tying run at first base.
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