KENT, Ohio – The University of Toledo baseball team overcame a six-run deficit to win a 15-14 extra-inning affair at Kent State on Sunday. The victory clinched the Rockets' first MAC series win of the year.

"What a way to finish off this series," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "It was another close game and our guys never gave up. I can't say enough about the job the offense did this weekend. Didn't matter the situation, they just kept finding ways to score. I'm so proud of the job they did. Kyle Pijaszek was fantastic at the end and shut the door. It's not always pretty, but these guys just never quit and it's fun to watch."

Toledo jumped ahead early, but a nine-run fifth for Kent State gave it a 10-6 lead. The Golden Flashes would extend their lead to 12-6, but Toledo scored three runs in the top of the seventh, three in the eighth, and two in the ninth to tie the score at 14-14 and send the game into extras. Nicky Winterstein's sac fly in the top of the 10^th inning drove in what would be the game-winning run. 

Chris Meyers led the way at the plate, going 4-for-6 with five RBIs, a home run, and two doubles. Mason Sykes and Marcus Strother each drove in two runs, while Winterstein, John Servello, and Trace Hatfield each had an RBI. Strother and Scott Mackiewicz each walked three times and scored twice. All nine Rockets that stepped to the plate scored a run in Sunday's game.

Kyle Pijaszek threw 2.1 perfect innings, striking out four and earning his first win of the year. Connor Brandon started the game on the mound and lasted 4.1 innings.

The Rockets return home next weekend for a four-game series against Akron. 

How it Happened 

• Kent State struck first, taking a 1-0 lead on a sac fly in the bottom of the first. 
• The Rockets slugged their way to a lead in the top of the third, scoring three runs to take a 3-1 lead. Servello and Meyers tallied back-to-back doubles, with Meyers' two-bagger driving in two runs. 
• The Golden Flashes had the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, but Brandon was able to get a clutch strikeout to end the inning and escape unscathed. 
• Meyers doubled in another couple runs in the top of the fifth to make it 5-1, then later came around to score on a Kent State error to extend Toledo's lead to five and put the score at 6-1. 
• Kent State came back with nine runs in the bottom half of the fifth. A three-run home run from Nick Elsen started the scoring, then Ben Carew laced a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 6-6. The Golden Flashes would go on to score four more runs to take their first lead since the bottom of the first inning, going up 10-6. 
• KSU added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to double up the Rockets at 12-6. 
• Meyers launched his 11^th home run of the year and Strother followed that up with a two-run double to trim Toledo's deficit to three, 12-9, in the top of the seventh. 
• Kent State would add a run in the bottom half of the seventh to put its lead back at four, 13-9. 
• Winterstein  scored on a wild pitch, then Sykes drove in a couple runs with two outs in the top of the eighth to cut the Golden Flashes' lead to one, 13-12. 
• An RBI single from Kent State made it 14-12 in the bottom of the eighth.  
• Down to their last out, the Rockets scored twice to tie the game at 14-14. Hatfield doubled down the line in left field to drive in a run, then later scored on a Kent State error to keep Toledo alive. 
• Winterstein drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 10^th. Strother reached on a single, advanced to second on a base hit from Mackiewicz, moved up to third base on a passed ball, then scored easily on Winterstein's ball to center field, making the score 15-14. 
• Pijaszek ended the game with 2.1 scoreless innings, including the bottom of the 10^th, to seal the deal for the Rockets.