YPSILANTI, Mich. - Freshman Joey Prechtel tossed 7.0 innings of relief and junior Dalton Bollinger hit a two-run home run to propel the Rockets over Eastern Michigan, 6-5, in Mid-American Conference baseball action at Oestrike Stadium.

With the win coupled by losses from Miami and Buffalo, the Rockets have earned a spot in next week's MAC Tournament.    

Prechtel replaced fifth-year senior Caleb Schillace after one batter in the second innings and pitched 7.0 scoreless frames before allowing a run in the ninth. The Toledo offense was led by Bollinger who drove in three runs including his fifth-inning shot. Sophomores Riley Campbell and Ross Adolph, along with junior AJ Montoya, each recorded two hits in the regular-season ending win.

UT (16-39, 9-15 MAC) scored in the first inning for the 19th time this season to take an early 1-0 lead. Campbell hit his third triple of the year down the right field line and scored as the next batter, junior Brad Boss, drove him in with a RBI ground out.

Eastern Michigan (23-33, 14-10 MAC) responded to the early run with three markers in the bottom of the first. The Eagles put together three singles and a walk to tie the game and later take the lead. 

The Rockets did not blink and came back on the attack the next inning. Adolph led off the frame with a triple just inside the foul line in right field and subsequently scored on a RBI base hit by Montoya.

Senior Jake Krupar laid down a perfectly placed bunt single and freshman Antonio Bennett reached on an infield hit to load the bases with one out. Junior Matt Hansen bounced out to the shortstop but it was enough to drive in Montoya to tie the game at 3-3.

Schillace hit the first batter he faced in the second and gave way to Prechtel. The Oakland, Mich. native worked his way out of the inning to keep the game tied. Prechtel tight-roped past a walk and a single in the third and worked around a one-out double in the second to keep the game even.

Campbell started the fifth-inning rally with a one-out single and stole second base. Two batters later, Bollinger blasted his team-leading seventh home run of the campaign to give the Rockets a 5-3 lead. Adolph then notched his second triple of the game but was left stranded at third. This was the first multi-triple game for a Toledo player since 2009.

Prechtel went back to work and retired the next six EMU batters in order. 

Hansen started the hunt for an insurance run with a lead off double in the seventh and Campbell was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Boss bunted the pair into scoring position and Hansen was able to score on a RBI ground out by Bollinger.

Prechtel recorded a line out and two fly outs after a lead off walk in the seventh to keep the Eagles down three. Eastern Michigan was able to put two runners in scoring position in the eighth, but Prechtel induced a fly ball that Montoya squeezed in right field for the third out.

Prechtel issued a lead off walk in the ninth as the rain began to pour down on the Eastern Michigan "Senior Day." Sophomore Luke Schaefer came on for Prechtel and notched the first out of the inning.

EMU plated a run on back-to-back wild pitches and trimmed the lead to 6-5 on a solo home run to right. Schaefer slammed the door for his second save with a called third strike and a fly out to right. Prechtel (2-4) earned the win for his spectacular pitching performance.

After the game, the Rockets turned to the internet to see final scores of Northern Illinois at Miami and Buffalo at Western Michigan. Toledo entered the day needing wins from NIU and WMU, along with a win of its own, to qualify for the MAC Tournament.

Rocket faithful held its collective breath as NIU cleared a 5-4 win over MIA and counted down the outs as WMU secured a 7-2 triumph over UB. 

The Rockets will be the No. 8 seed in the postseason tournament and will take on No. 1 seed Kent State on Wednesday, May 24 in Avon, Ohio.