The Rockets were victorious in one of four games this past weekend in the Johnny Gill Memorial Tournament held in Rock Hill, S.C., and are now 6-6 on the season after the three-day tournament.
Toledo was led by senior catcher and infielder Aaron Dudley, who went 6-for-15 with four RBI and batted .400. Also turning in good performances for the Rockets were sophomore infielder Matt Delewski and junior outfielder Dan Sherwood. Delewski hit .400 with two runs and two RBI in 10 at bats, while Sherwood went 5-for-15 for a .333 average with five runs and three RBI.
UT’s first and only win of the tournament came on the first day of competition last Thursday in a 5-4 victory over host Winthrop. Toledo opened the game with a 2-0 lead in the first inning on the strength of an RBI double down the right field line from senior infielder Tim Krofcheck and an RBI single from Dudley. The score was 3-1 heading into the top of the sixth, when the Rockets scored two more runs before the Eagles knocked in three runs of their own to make it a 5-4 game.
Toledo held off Winthrop in the final three innings for the victory as sophomore left-handed pitcher Kyle Shaw (1-1) picked up the win. Shaw recorded six strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched for the Rockets.
On Friday, Toledo lost by a single run in each of their games, dropping its first contest 3-2 to Canisius before getting defeated 5-4 by Winthrop. The first game went scoreless until the fourth inning, when Sherwood’s sacrifice fly brought in junior infielder Jared Hoying, who led off the inning with a single. The Rockets took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth and held it until the top of the ninth, when junior right-handed pitcher Matt Zahel (0-1) gave up a two-run homer that gave the Griffins both the lead and the game.
In Friday’s second game, Toledo again got on the board first, this time in the top of the third inning. Dudics doubled to lead off the inning and was brought in by a Hoying single to right field for the 1-0 lead. Dudley then came up and hit an RBI single to center to drive in Hoying. Winthrop countered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to tie things up at 2.
The Rockets registered just four hits over the final six innings however, as the Eagles tallied three runs to take the game 5-4. Senior right-hander Mike Inselmann (0-1) got the loss for Toledo, giving up one hit and one run in 0.1 innings pitched.
Despite out-hitting its opponent 13 to 10, Toledo fell by one run to Canisius again on the final day of the tournament, this time by a score of 10-9. Sherwood led the Rockets with three hits in the game, while Dudics, Dudley and sophomore infielders Joe Corfman and Matt Delewski had two hits apiece and combined for six RBI.
UT held a 5-1 lead heading into the top of the fifth inning, but a six-run, five-hit performance from the Griffins in the bottom of the fifth gave them a two-run lead. Toledo countered by outscoring Canisius 4-1 in the sixth to take a 9-8 lead. However, freshman right-hander Jared Locke (0-1) gave up a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, and it proved to be the difference in the game as UT lost 10-9.
The Rockets will be in action again on St. Patrick’s Day this Wednesday at 3:05 p.m. when they take on IPFW at Scott Park.
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