Central Michigan University
Toledo
Opportunistic Chippewas Take Series Opener From Toledo
4/13/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Thade Hultzsch, CMUChippewas.com
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Central Michigan baseball got solid pitching and capitalized on opportunities in grinding out a 5-3 Mid-American Conference victory over Toldo on Friday at the Rockets' Scott Park.
The win moves CMU to 12-20-1, 6-4 MAC. CMU ended Toledo's three-game win streak. The Rockets are 11-19, 5-5.
Game two in the series is scheduled for Saturday. A site and start time will be announced on Saturday morning. The series was originally scheduled for Mount Pleasant, but was moved because of an ice storm forecast for Mid-Michigan. Sunday's game is also a TBA in terms of site and start time.
ON THE MOUND
Junior right-hander Pat Leatherman (2-4) went five innings for the win. He allowed one run on four hits to go along with three strikeouts and two walks.
Jack Collins and Brandon Reed pitched in relief for the Chippewas. Collins allowed just one hit, walked two and struck out three before giving way to Reed, who pitched out of a ninth-inning jam to preserve the victory.
Toledo starter Michael Jacob (0-6) took the loss. He allowed five runs, three of them earned, on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He also walked five.
AT THE PLATE
The Chippewas out-hit Toledo, 9-7, with three of those hits coming from leadoff man Jacob Crum, who scored two runs.
Zavier Warren, Griffin Lockwood-Powell, Jason Sullivan, Blake Cleveland, Chase Rollin and Zach Gilles each singled.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Chippewas got a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Sullivan to go up 1-0 in the first inning, and then added two more in the second when a Rocket throwing error allowed both Crum and Gilles to score on the same play.
The Chippewas then used a pair of two-out RBI singles - the first by Warren in the fourth and the second by Lockwood-Powell in the sixth - to increase their lead to 5-1.
Reed, a freshman left-hander, surrendered a run-scoring double and an RBI groundout in the ninth inning, cutting CMU's lead to 5-3. He struck out Ross Adolph with a runner at third to end the game. Adolph came into the series hitting .353 with a league-high 35 RBI and tied for the conference lead with eight home runs.
