Rockets score early and soar past the Bulls

Toledo's baseball team scored early and often in its three-game series against the Bulls, tallying 43 runs over the weekend as they swept Buffalo, winning, 8-5, 18-4 and 17-8.
In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Toledo (21-9, 8-1 MAC) jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
The Rockets put together two back-to-back RBI doubles that helped them gain an early lead. They were able to strike again in the third inning for another two runs when junior outfielder Dan Sherwood homered to centerfield. Toledo added another run in the fifth, making the score 5-0.
But Buffalo (13-14, 3-6 MAC) didn't let the early deficit ruin their chance of coming back. Freshman catcher Tom Murphy started the Bulls' rally by putting them on the scoreboard for the first time all day with a solo home run to dead center. Senior outfielder Charlie Karstedt slimmed the Rockets' lead to 5-2 with an RBI single to right field.
Facing a 5-2 deficit with only three innings to play, the Bulls' needed someone to step up and get a big hit. Senior designated hitter Brad Cochrane answered the Bulls' call in the bottom of the seventh inning, delivering a monster three-run homerun that tied the game, 5-5.
"[After we tied the game] there was some energy in the dugout," said head coach Ron Torgalski. "I thought we spotted them some cheap runs early but [despite some early mishaps] I thought we had out-played them up until that point."
But the Bulls were unable to transfer their fiery hitting over to defense.
With two runners on in the top of the eighth inning, Rockets' junior outfielder Jared Hoying hit a routine fly ball to centerfield. Buffalo's senior outfielder Adam Skonieczki, however, failed to make the catch, committing a costly error that allowed two Rockets to score, spoiling the Bulls' hopes of defeating their conference-rival.
Toledo added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to account for the final score, 8-5.
"After the three-run homer, I thought the momentum had swung toward us," Torgalski said. "But we misplayed a ball with two outs and that really hurt us."
The game wasn't a complete wash as three players hit .500 in the contest. Cochrane, Karstedt and Murphy each went 2-for-4 and Cochrane recorded a team-high three RBIs with his homerun.
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Toledo demonstrated why it's atop the MAC West Division.
Toledo jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run shot by Sherwood. The designated hitter had a monster night, going 5-for-5, collecting seven RBIs while hitting a homerun, two triples, and two doubles.
Bulls' senior shortstop Jacob Rosenbeck nailed a solo shot to right field, but it simply wasn't enough. Toledo rocketed out to a 17-run lead, proving that its high-octane offense was too much for Buffalo to handle. The Rockets hammered the Bulls for 18 runs on 20 hits.
The one bright spot for Buffalo during the disappointing loss was a three-run home run in the eighth inning that came off the bat of Karstedt. Karstedt, who was the designated hitter in this game, went 1-for-2 in the contest with a home run, three RBIs, and a walk. Buffalo, however, went on to lose the game, 18-4.
Windy weather didn't help the Bulls as they had a difficult time adjusting to the conditions.
"The wind on Saturday changed the whole game," Torgalski said. "If you [hit] a ball in the air, it was going [to travel far]. We misplayed a couple of balls and that hurt us. We just didn't make the necessary adjustments in the field and they did."
In the final contest of a three-game set, Toledo continued to dominate early. The Rockets scored fours runs in the first and added another five in the second to take an early 9-0 lead.
Rosenbeck, Karstedt and senior left fielder Bobby Pizzuto went 9-for-14 combined, but their offense couldn't overcome the early deficit. The Bulls hit the ball well, but they lost the momentum in the opening innings and never came back.
The series against Toledo was highlighted by fast starts for the Rockets. Buffalo had to play catch up in most of the contests and weren't able to rally back to beat a strong Toledo team.
"They just jumped on us early," Torgalski said. "We didn't make plays and they had the momentum going. As a team, we talk about jumping on our opponents early and [Toledo was] able to do that to us. They scored in the first [inning] of all three games, making it really tough for us to battle back."
Buffalo will be back in action Tuesday as it hosts St. Bonaventure for a doubleheader, starting at 2 p.m. They follow the home game on Wednesday with a trip to Niagara at 3 p.m.

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