Memphis erupts late to beat Toledo 8-1, earn series split

Memphis got the getaway-day response it needed at Fifth Third Field, rolling past Toledo 8-1 on May 10 to split the six-game set 3-3 and keep its perfect series record intact through the first six series of the season. The Redbirds did all of their scoring from the sixth inning on, turning what looked like a tight road finale into a clean finish and a useful reminder of how steady this club has been in the early going.

Bligh Madris drove the offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and repeatedly giving Memphis the at-bats that kept the pressure on. The Redbirds did not need an early burst to control the game. They waited, then stacked runs in the late innings, including a three-run ninth that put the final numbers out of reach and matched the way they had already been winning on this trip.

The pitching side was just as important. Scott Blewett, Luis Gastelum, Max Rajcic and Matt Pushard combined to cover the first 7.1 innings without allowing a run, giving Memphis a quiet start that set up the late separation. Toledo’s only run came on a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and by then the Redbirds had already built enough cushion to absorb it. Rajcic was credited with the win and moved to 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA.

The box score backed up the shape of the game: Memphis had nine hits, no errors and left Toledo with only six hits and six runners stranded. The crowd of 6,184 watched the Redbirds handle the game in 2:45, with Ron Kulpa working behind the plate.

The result mattered beyond one score line. Memphis had entered the day having spent every day of the 2026 season at least tied for first place, and this win kept that run going after the club had already opened a 1.5-game International League lead over Gwinnett with its May 7 win in Toledo. That earlier victory, an 11-4 game in which Memphis hit a season-high tying four home runs, showed the same late-inning pattern that showed up again here. The Redbirds returned to AutoZone Park on May 12 to open a six-game series against Jacksonville with a 6:45 p.m. CDT first pitch, carrying one of the steadiest profiles in Triple-A into the next homestand.