SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The University of Toledo baseball team dropped the second game of its series at USC Upstate, 5-1 in action in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday.

"We played better today, but still not anywhere close to what we are capable of," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "I give credit to USC Upstate, they have thrown two legit arms at us and they have taken advantage of every inch we give them. We haven't shown it yet, but I still know we have an excellent group of hitters. We have to compete more in the box and be tougher outs against opposing pitchers. The one bright spot today was Kyle Jones. He threw the ball really well and kept us in the game."

Jones threw five innings in relief for Toledo, allowing just one run and striking out five. He finished his afternoon with four shutout innings and retired the final seven batters he faced.

Chris Meyers started on the mound for the Rockets, his first collegiate start as a pitcher, and he struck out five across three innings. At the plate Mason Sykes and Ryan Thompson each collected two hits, while Darryn Davis drove in the lone Toledo run.

The series finale between the Rockets and Spartans is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday on ESPN+.

How it Happened

• USC Upstate struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. The first run came through on a fielder's choice and the next run scored easily on a base hit up the middle. The Spartans took advantage of two free bases courtesy of a walk and hit batter.
• Upstate's Jack Gallagher drove in two runs on a one-out double in the bottom of the third to right field, putting Toledo in a 4-0 hole.
• The Spartans scored their fifth run of the day on a squeeze bunt with one out in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.
• Davis drove in Marcus Strother with a bases-loaded ground out to second base to get Toledo on the board. The Rockets loaded the bases with one out thanks to a walk by Strother, a base hit from Thompson, and Zach Schwartzenberger taking a hit by pitch, but they only managed the one run.
• Jones allowed a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth, but sent down the next seven hitters he faced in order to end his outing on a high note. Three of his final seven outs were strikeouts.