TOLEDO, OH – Toledo scored four runs in two different innings en route to a 10-7 victory over Olivet College in Thursday’s action at Scott Park. With the victory, the Rockets’ snap a seven-game losing skid and improve to 10-21 on the season.

Freshmen Jim Vahalik (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 RS) and Jared Hoying (2-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 RBI) did a majority of the damage in the triumph over the Comets, combining for five hits, five RBI and four runs scored.

Senior RHP Brad Eichoff (1-0), the third of four UT pitchers who saw action in UT’s sixth game in the last seven days, earned his first collegiate victory, allowing one unearned run on one hit with six strikeouts in 2.1 frames. Sophomore Jacob Bernath closed out the win with 1.1 scoreless innings to collect his first collegiate save.

Toledo exploded out of the gates and scored four runs in the opening frame. The home team sent eight batters to the plate and collected four hits off OC’s Brad Beisiegel. After the first two outs were recorded, sophomore Aaron Dudley (1-for-5, 2 RS, RBI) hit his team-high sixth home run of the season to ignite the inning. The other big hit in the frame was a two-run double off the bat of Vahalik to establish an early four-run cushion.

The score remained the same until the fourth when Olivet College plated one run to spoil the shutout. The visitors collected three hits in the inning against UT freshman LHP Calvin Gunter, including a RBI double off the bat of Matt Smoker, to make it a three-run game, 4-1. Smoker finished with two hits and three RBI.

Toledo quickly countered with one run in the bottom on the fourth on a sacrifice fly by freshman Jason Edwards to reclaim the four-run advantage. The RBI was the first in the collegiate career for the Trenton, OH native.

In the fifth, the Comets started its comeback and made the score 5-3 on a groundout and a passed ball.            

The teams battled back-and-forth and UT scored a run on a RBI double by sophomore Josh Johnson (2-for-3, RBI) to double up its lead, 6-3.

Olivet College continued to fight back and scored three runs in the sixth to knot the score at 6-6. A two-run blast by Smoker helped tie the score for the first time since the opening frame.

Fortunately for the Rockets, the home team utilized a two-run triple by senior Drew Hoisington (1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 RS) and a two-run home run by Hoying to help seal the victory. The Fort Loramie, OH native has hit three home runs in the last two games.

Olivet College made one final charge and tallied a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Goodman but would get no closer.

OC’s Richard Gottardo (0-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits in 2.0 innings.

The Rockets return to action tomorrow to begin a three-game series against Northern Illinois. The first pitch from Scott Park is slated for 3:00 p.m.