CMU baseball drops home opener to Toledo
The Chippewas struggled on both offense and defense against the Rockets
The Central Michigan University baseball team hosts Toledo for a three-game series starting Friday, March 20, 2026 at the baseball game at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
Having already given up two runs to the Toledo Rockets earlier in the inning, Central Michigan baseball needed to make a play to get out of the eighth.
With two outs, Toledo hit an infield pop-up that looked like it would be a seemingly routine play to make. Despite there being multiple Chippewas in the area, the ball fell to the ground, scoring a run and extending the inning.
The mistake gave way to a grand slam just three batters later, vaulting the Rockets to an eight-run lead and essentially sealing the victory.
After more than a month on the road, Central Michigan finally opened at Theunissen Stadium for the 2026 season. The homecoming did not go the Chippewas’ way as a lack of offense coupled with a disastrous eighth inning led to the Rockets blasting off to the 10-1 win.
The loss brings Central Michigan's record to 7-11 overall, 1-6 in Mid-American Conference play.
“We just didn't do enough today,” head coach Jake Sabol said. “I think we probably had nine or 10 quality at-bats. I mean, that kid (Toledo’s starting pitcher) was pretty good, and he was all over the plate, and we just didn't do enough to make adjustments and get guys on base. We didn't execute much. We made some defensive mistakes in some big-time moments. … We just weren't clean.”
It didn’t take long for Toledo to take control of Friday’s game. The Rockets launched out to the lead in the first inning, collecting four hits and two runs. Toledo freshman Ryan Sudbrook hit in the first run with a single up the right side. Junior Cole Cahill scored the second with a double.
Cahill had a strong afternoon, totaling three hits and a team-high five runs batted in, highlighted by the grand slam in the eighth.
Junior Charlie Scholvin also had three hits while knocking in three RBIs. Toledo as a team amassed 13 total hits.
On the other side of the field, it didn’t come so easily. The Chippewa offense was quiet for much of the game as Toledo’s starting pitcher, senior Nathan Leininger, gave the Chippewas fits. Leininger pitched eight innings, giving up just five hits and collecting 10 strikeouts.
None of CMU’s first four batters in the order recorded a hit, and the whole lineup in general struggled to get on base. The lone run from CMU was scored in the seventh inning with a single from sophomore Miguel Correa Jr.
“When your one through four aren't giving you great at-bats or not (getting) on base, it puts a lot of pressure on the guys who are bottom of the lineup,” Sabol said. “Those guys at the top have been fairly good for us up to this point. So, it's hard. It's one game. We gotta get a little bit better. … But we got a ton of faith in the guys that hit the top of our lineup.”
Freshman pitcher Luke Neiswonger, who came into the game ranked No. 17 in the nation in strikeouts with 41, started the game on the mound for the Chippewas. The freshman had a shaky start, but his outing improved as the game progressed.
His game, however, was cut short with an injury in the middle of the fifth. Neiswonger finished having given up six hits and two earned runs while striking out six batters.
“They got to him there in the first inning…they were ready to go in the box,” Sabol said. “He throws a lot of breaking balls. I think they hit some of those early and put up a two-spot, but then I thought he settled in and made some pitches in the next few innings to give himself a chance to be a little bit deeper in the game.”
In relief, sophomore Max Hammond pitched a couple of innings before things went south. In the top of the eighth, Hammond hit Toledo’s first batter and walked the second, prompting a pitching change.
Junior Gavin Moczydlowsky came in to try and salvage the inning. Instead, it just got worse. A flyout advanced one of the runners to third. A double scored the third and fourth runs.
The mistake on the infield pop-up allowed a fifth run. While redshirt junior Bryson Webb, who was playing third base, tried to make a play, the ball landed closer to second, resulting in the run scoring. Moving forward, Sabol said he wants to see more of his guys on the field take charge in situations like those.
“I think Bryson (Webb), being an older guy, he's got some moxie, he's got some feel,” Sabol said. “I think we were hurting for an out there… and he called it and took charge, and I think it just took off on him a little bit. … We just need more out of our other guys to take charge. It's probably a routine fly ball for a guy like (second baseman Drew) Loikits.”
Toledo proceeded to load the bases, setting up the grand slam from Cahill that effectively sealed the game for the Rockets.
The Chippewas will play two more games against Toledo over the rest of the weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday’s games are scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
“The one thing about this group is they have been pretty resilient,” Sabol said. “Getting your ass kicked or having a close game and losing on a walk-off, they've been able to bounce back the next day. So, I'll be curious to see how it goes tomorrow.”
