Rockets Rally for Doubleheader Sweep Over Falcons

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo softball team rallied for a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon at Scott Park to sweep this weekend’s Battle of I-75 series vs. arch-rival Bowling Green (15-33, 7-17 MAC).  

The two wins put the Rockets (17-26, 10-12 MAC) just one game in the loss column behind sixth-place Northern Illinois (18-26, 12-11 MAC) for the final spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament with one week to play in the regular season.

Freshman Samantha Bolding connected for her second homer of the game to lift the Rockets to a 6-5 (10 inn.) triumph in the opener. UT trailed 4-1 in the contest before scoring a run in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

The Rockets fell behind 5-1 in the nightcap before exploding for eight runs in the sixth to rally for a 10-5 victory. Toledo registered six straight hits in the inning with Sidney Griffith and Kendra VanderLugt each notching two-run singles.

Senior Sophia Knight picked up the win in Game One by fanning nine batters in six innings of scoreless relief. Sophomore Mady Yackee earned the victory in relief in Game Two by allowing just two hits and striking out five over 4.1 innings.

Quoting Head Coach Jessica Bracamonte (on the doubleheader sweep)

“There’s so much fight left in this team. Comeback wins aren’t easy but we found a way twice today. Our pitchers worked as a true staff and that gave us opportunities to work through some things offensively until we figured it out. Kylee had a great start in Game 1 and Sophia came in and dominated in relief. In Game 2, Mady came in and shut them down in relief. Our offense stayed the course and came through with some huge hits in really big, key moments. But what it came down to in the end was belief. Unwavering belief from start to finish is what it takes and we have that.”

Quoting Head Coach Jessica Bracamonte (on Alumni weekend)

“We had such an incredible turnout of alumni today and that was really special. To be able to bring so many of them back to share old memories and make new ones is what it’s all about. Honoring Rhonda (King-Randolph) and what she has meant to this program and the people was very important to us. I’m glad we had so many fellow Rocket alumni to be able to share in her memory. Once a Rocket, always a Rocket.”

Hitting Highlights

Pitching Highlights

• Sophia Knight (W, 10-11) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K (Game 1)
• Mady Yackee (W, 3-2) – 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (Game 2)

How It Happened (Game One)

• Samantha Bolding blasted a solo homer to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead in the second.
• After the Falcons responded with four runs in the top of the fourth, UT crept back within a run in the bottom of the frame thanks to a pair of BG errors.
• Audrey Miller’s sacrifice fly in the fifth and RBI single in the seventh evened the score at 5-5.
• Bolding’s lead-off homer to left-center gave the Rockets the walk-off win in the 10th.

How It Happened (Game Two)

Up Next
Toledo will visit Kent State for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 29 before hosting Northern Illinois in a three-game series next weekend (May 3-4).