Thursday, May 21
Avon, Ohio
6:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
31-27
8
vs
0
Kent State
40-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 2 |
| Kent State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fliss, Michael (5-1)
L: Easton Tumis (6-3)
Batting:
2B: Scholvin, Charlie 2
RBI: Arsich, Liam 2 ; Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Scholvin, Charlie 1 ; Wagner, JP 2 ; Baker, Cade 1
SH: Sudbrook, Ryan 1
SF: Baker, Cade 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arsich, Liam 2 ; Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Scholvin, Charlie 2 ; Payne, Jacob 1 ; Walton, Luke 1 ; Sudbrook, Ryan 1
SB: Arsich, Liam 2 ; Sudbrook, Troy 1 ; Sudbrook, Ryan 1
HBP: Sudbrook, Ryan 1
Batting:
SH: Luke Matthews 1
Base Running:
SB: Ripken Reese 1
HBP: Max Humphrey 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
Michael Fliss allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings in Toledo's 8-0 MAC Tournament victory over Kent State on Thursday.
Photo by: David Dermer
Rockets Overpower Golden Flashes for 8-0 Victory in MAC Tournament Second Round
5/21/2026 11:54:00 PM | Baseball
Toledo moves on to face Northern Illinois for a chance to reach championship game
AVON, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team controlled play from wire-to-wire, dominating Kent State in an 8-0 victory in the second round of the MAC Tournament on Thursday evening.
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The win advances the Rockets further in the winner's bracket, where Toledo will face a matchup with No. 4 seed Northern Illinois on Friday, May 22 back at ForeFront Field. The winner will move on to the championship game with two opportunities to win the title.
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The Rockets (31-27) got on the board right away with two runs in the first inning. After maintaining the 2-0 edge through four frames, the Rockets strung together a four-run inning in the fifth and added two more in the sixth. Toledo has defeated Kent State in the MAC Tournament for a third-straight season. The Rockets also won their first two games in the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2009.
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The top three of the batting order – freshman Liam Arsich, redshirt junior Troy Sudbrook and junior Charlie Scholvin – each tallied multi-hit games. Scholvin collected a pair of doubles, his 17th and 18th on the season. Arsich and junior JP Wagner each registered multi-RBI games. Six different Rockets scored runs, with Arsich and Wagner each crossing the plate twice.
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Redshirt freshman Michael Fliss (5-1) put together a dominant outing on the mound. The right-hander allowed just one hit through seven innings, with eight strikeouts to just two walks. He struck out two batters in the second, third and fourth innings. Fliss is 5-0 in his last six starts and has totaled 47 strikeouts in 34.0 innings in that span. Redshirt junior Ryan Hughes closed out the last two innings. Toledo's pitching earned its third shutout of the season as a team.
The start of the game was delayed by over two hours due to extra-inning action between Northern Illinois and Miami in the game prior.
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Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"I'm really proud of the way the guys came and played tonight. We started about two hours later than planned and they stayed locked in and focused on the job at hand. Michael Fliss was special tonight and pitched a gem for us. Ryan Hughes did a good job closing it out. The offense was good again tonight with many guys swinging the bats well. We are in a good spot but are facing a talented NIU team tomorrow. They are playing really well and confident too. It should be a great game."
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Top Rocket Hitters
The Rockets move on to face No. 4 seed Northern Illinois in a winner's bracket matchup on Friday, May 22. The game will start 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Miami/Kent State game. Streaming will be on ESPN+ and tickets are available at getsomemaction.com.
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The win advances the Rockets further in the winner's bracket, where Toledo will face a matchup with No. 4 seed Northern Illinois on Friday, May 22 back at ForeFront Field. The winner will move on to the championship game with two opportunities to win the title.
Â
The Rockets (31-27) got on the board right away with two runs in the first inning. After maintaining the 2-0 edge through four frames, the Rockets strung together a four-run inning in the fifth and added two more in the sixth. Toledo has defeated Kent State in the MAC Tournament for a third-straight season. The Rockets also won their first two games in the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2009.
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The top three of the batting order – freshman Liam Arsich, redshirt junior Troy Sudbrook and junior Charlie Scholvin – each tallied multi-hit games. Scholvin collected a pair of doubles, his 17th and 18th on the season. Arsich and junior JP Wagner each registered multi-RBI games. Six different Rockets scored runs, with Arsich and Wagner each crossing the plate twice.
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Redshirt freshman Michael Fliss (5-1) put together a dominant outing on the mound. The right-hander allowed just one hit through seven innings, with eight strikeouts to just two walks. He struck out two batters in the second, third and fourth innings. Fliss is 5-0 in his last six starts and has totaled 47 strikeouts in 34.0 innings in that span. Redshirt junior Ryan Hughes closed out the last two innings. Toledo's pitching earned its third shutout of the season as a team.
The start of the game was delayed by over two hours due to extra-inning action between Northern Illinois and Miami in the game prior.
Â
Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"I'm really proud of the way the guys came and played tonight. We started about two hours later than planned and they stayed locked in and focused on the job at hand. Michael Fliss was special tonight and pitched a gem for us. Ryan Hughes did a good job closing it out. The offense was good again tonight with many guys swinging the bats well. We are in a good spot but are facing a talented NIU team tomorrow. They are playing really well and confident too. It should be a great game."
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Top Rocket Hitters
- Liam Arsich – 2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 BB, 2 SB
- Troy Sudbrook – 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 BB, 1 run
- Charlie Scholvin – 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 2 2B
- Michael Fliss (W, 5-1) – 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 Ks
- Ryan Hughes – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 Ks
- Toledo put runners on second and third, before an RBI groundout and an error put the Rockets up 2-0 in the first.
- Kent State put a runner on third with one out, but Michael Fliss struck out the final two batters of the inning.
- Toledo staged a one-out rally in the fourth, with Troy Sudbrook, Charlie Scholvin and JP Wagner stringing together two RBI singles and an RBI double. Cade Baker followed with a hard-hit sacrifice fly for a four-run inning and a 6-0 lead.
- Liam Arsich plated two more in the sixth on a single to left field for an 8-0 lead.
The Rockets move on to face No. 4 seed Northern Illinois in a winner's bracket matchup on Friday, May 22. The game will start 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Miami/Kent State game. Streaming will be on ESPN+ and tickets are available at getsomemaction.com.
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