TOLEDO — A Levi Wallace single in the bottom of the eighth inning helped Toledo hold off Toutle Lake 3-2 in nonleague baseball action here Wednesday.
In the top of the seventh the Ducks knotted the game at two, Toledo held Toutle scoreless in the top of the final frame then came the late game heroics of the Indians.
After walks to Jake Teitzel and RJ Covey to open the eighth, Wallace roped a single down the third-base line to score Teitzel and give Toledo its second win of the young season.
“It was a great hit,” said Toledo coach Perry Herbst. “It would have been extra bases if it wasn’t a game winner.”
Freshman Mack Gaul and Teitzel combined for eight innings on the mound giving up two runs on two hits. Gaul, who started the game, gave up just one hit in five innings of work while striking out three.
Although both of Toutle Lake’s runs were attributed to Teitzel, he closed out the game giving up four hits and striking out four.
“Our young pitchers threw really well today,” said Herbst. “Our young kids got a lot of work and we need some of those young kids to step up for us and get some experience and this was a good opportunity for them to do that.”
Teitzel helped his cause by going 2 for 3 from the plate, while Wallace was 1 for 2 with the game-winning RBI.
“Our kids did what they had to do to win the game,” said Herbst. “Battling and getting a win in the eighth inning just speaks volumes to their character.”
Toledo scored its three runs of five hits, while the Ducks mustered two runs on five hits.
Alex Teitzel and Alex Kleemeyer each went 1 for 4 for the Indians.
Toledo (2-1) travels to Onalaska today to open its SWW 1A League Evergreen Division schedule with a doubleheader.
