INDIANAPOLIS – Butler's last non-conference home game went to the visitors as Toledo claimed a 9-8 victory at Bulldog Park on Wednesday afternoon. Gehrig Parker led Butler at the plate going 4-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored.
 
Connor Dall was the team RBI leader against the Rockets with three. He went 1-for-3 in the contest with a walk. Additional RBIs went to Duncan Hewitt, Garrett Christman and Harrison Freed, who homered for BU.
 
The game got off to an interesting start as Kyle Bischoff retired the first two batters of the first, but Gehrig Parker would extend the frame with a single to centerfield. Parker would steal second to move into scoring position and senior Garrett Christman would extend his team-lead RBI total with a base knock to left scoring Parker. Bischoff would start to struggle with his command soon after as he hit Freed to load the bases. Both Connor Dall and Duncan Hewitt would reach base on balls to give BU four runs off just two hits.
 
The advantage would trim down to 4-2 quickly in the top of the second inning. Brad Boss led off with a triple down the line to right. The ball hit the first base bag hard and rolled all the way to the fence. Trace Hatfield followed in the order with an extra base hit of his own. His double to right center would score Toledo's first run of the contest.
 
AJ Montoya and Chris Meyers would follow in the lineup with back-to-back singles. Meyers picked up an RBI with Hatfield scoring on his at-bat. Joe Graziano would get out of trouble with an inning-ending double play, but one more Rocket run would score before the tag was applied by Michael Hartnagel making the score 4-3.
 
Toledo came back around to tie the game in the top of the third. The Rockets once again led off the inning with a triple, this time to right centerfield. A sac fly from Dalton Bollinger would score John Servello and a hard hit ball back up the middle by Boss would signal the end of the day for Graziano.
 
Quentin Miller checked into the game for Head Coach Dave Schrage and would surrender a single to the first batter he faced. Montoya would walk to load the bases, but Miller would get Chris Meyers to fly out and end the inning.
 
BU used two hits to retake the lead in the bottom of three. Harrison Freed would single to left center and move to second base off a sac bunt from Connor Dall. The strategy paid off as Duncan Hewitt hit a double down the leftfield line to score Freed.
 
Sam Hubbe would take over on the mound for Butler in the top of the fourth inning. He tossed 1.2 innings of action before handing the ball off to Kevin Napoleon. The 'Dawgs got some extra run support during that time with Harrison Freed hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to move the score to 6-4.
 
The difference in today's outcome came in the top of the seventh inning. Toledo took control with four runs off two hits. Meyers highlighted the action with a two-RBI single.
 
Toledo added an insurance run in the top of the eighth off a solo blast from Bollinger. That run proved to be crucial as Butler scored two runs off a Connor Dall single in the bottom of the eighth. Butler loaded the bases with two outs causing Toledo to make a pitching change. Nate Haugh took the mound against the top of the BU order and got a fly out to right to end the threat.
 
Haugh stayed in the game to earn his fourth save of the season. The win went to Chris Hampton (1-0) while the loss dropped to Kevin Napoleon (1-2).
 
The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend with a three-game home series against Georgetown.