AKRON, OH - Toledo's softball team split its doubleheader at Akron on Saturday, taking the first game by a 7-5 tally in eight innings while falling 7-2 in game two.

Originally scheduled as single games on Saturday and Sunday, the decision was made Saturday morning to play a doubleheader due to inclement weather moving into Northeast Ohio.

With the split, Toledo moved to 12-35 (4-14 MAC) on the season, while the Zips are now 20-30 (7-11) on the season.

UT led throughout the first game but needed some extra time to finish off Akron. The Rockets went hitless in the first two innings, but Brooke Gates led off the third with a shot over the 210-foot sign in left center, her third home run of the season and first since March 7 against Temple to give Toledo the early 1-0 lead.

Cassie Gleisner led off the Zips third with a blooper into shallow right center that dropped safely, but Melissa Rons alertly picked it up and fired to second to cut her down as she tried to extend the hit into a double.

Akron came back to even the score in the fourth, as Heather Bauer singled into right center and stole second to start the inning. She went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a successful squeeze bunt in front of the plate by Alex Feltes. Later, the Zips advanced runners to second and third with two outs, but Hannah Rockhold induced a grounder to Gates at short, and her throw nipped Sarah Stromack at first to keep it tied at one.

With two down and nobody on in the fifth, Gates blooped a double into shallow right field that bounced off the second basemen's glove, and Kattie Palmer followed by ripping a double down the left field line to score Gates and put Toledo back in front, 2-1.

Toledo's defense came up with two big plays to start the fifth and maintain the lead. After a leadoff single by Gleisner, Lacey LeVier cut her down at second on an attempted sacrifice bunt. Then, Mica Sanchez delivered a strike to Sam Toy, who applied the tag as Sarah Earley tried to steal second and over slid the bag.

UT earned some breathing room in the sixth with some clutch two-out hitting. Kate Ricchio led off the frame with a soft single over shortstop and took second a stolen base, her 15th in 15 attempts this season. After a groundout, Ricchio went to third on a deep fly out to left by Wright, and Spink smacked a single into center to bring her home.

Sanchez then reached on an infield single, diving headfirst into the bag to beat the throw, and Lacey LeVier lined a shot into the gap in right center to score Sanchez and Ashley Herr, who came in to run for Spink.

Rockhold worked out trouble in the bottom of the inning, as Krista Hansen doubled to left with one out in the sixth, and a hit batter put two runners on with two out. But the senior avoided trouble with a nifty changeup on the inside corner for a swinging strike three to end the rally.

However, Akron made another surge in the seventh, as the Zips loaded the bases with one down. A sacrifice fly made it 5-2, and Hansen singled up the middle to cut UT's lead to 5-3. After another single re-loaded the bases, Alissa Birkhimer hit a ball up the middle that Toy made a diving stop on, but she couldn't flip it to second in time for the forceout, and two runners came in to score on the play to knot the game at five.

Wright and Spink led off the eighth with back-to-back walks, and Sanchez hit a blooper that landed just fair inside the right field line to load the bases. LeVier smacked another RBI hit over the bag at second and into second to put UT back in front 6-5. With two down, McKenna Smith came in to pinch hit, worked the count full with several foul balls, and drew the walk to make it 7-5.

Rockhold then worked a perfect eighth, setting down the Zips in order to close out the first game.

Akron jumped to a 3-0 lead in game two, scoring once in the first and two more times in the second. The Zips pushed their advantage to 5-0 in the fourth with two more tallies, taking advantage of a pair of Rocket errors.

UT managed just two hits in the first five frames, but scored twice in the top of the sixth as Spink cranked her sixth homer of the spring with a blast over the wall in left center.

But Akron answered with a two-run homer of its own in the bottom of the inning to bump its edge to 7-2.

The Rockets conclude their season with a doubleheader at Kent State on Friday and single games at Buffalo on Saturday and Sunday.