YPSILANTI, Mich. – The University of Toledo baseball team visited Eastern Michigan for a doubleheader on Tuesday, dropping game one 6-0 before winning the second game 10-2.
 
"It feels good to get back in the win column today," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "Our bats finally came back to life in game two. Now we set our sights on a big series against our rivals down I-75. Friday night's game at Fifth Third Field will be an electric atmosphere."
 
Game one was a pitcher's duel until the sixth inning, when the Eagles' bats scored five runs to take a commanding 6-0 lead late. The Rockets avenged that loss by scoring in bunches in the second game, plating four runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to build a large lead EMU could not overcome.
 
Nicky Winterstein tallied a team-high four RBIs in the victory and Marcus Strother drove in two runs to help the cause. Chris Meyers was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, and Trace Hatfield had two hits and an RBI. Wyatt Jefferson started on the mound in the second game and allowed one run in two innings, while Jordan Power (three innings) and Cal McAninch (one inning) had scoreless appearances out of the bullpen. Layne Schnitz-Paxton threw the final frame in the win.
 
Toledo hosts arch-rival Bowling Green this weekend. The Rockets' Friday battle against the Falcons will take place at Fifth Third Field, and tickets can be purchased at this link through the Toledo Mud Hens.
 
How it Happened (Game 1)

• Game one was a tight battle to start, with just two combined hits in the first three-and-a-half innings, both coming from Toledo hitters.
• Eastern Michigan's first hit of the game was a two-out, solo home run from Gabe Denton that made the score 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
• The Eagles took control with a five-run bottom of the sixth to take a 6-0 lead, a rally that was capped with a solo homer by Mike Monahan.

 
How it Happened (Game 2)

• The Rockets struck first this time, scoring a run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. John Servello hustled all the way home from first base on a base hit from Meyers to give his team the early lead.
• Scott Mackiewicz made it 2-0 with a solo home run in the top of the third.
• Eastern Michigan took advantage of a Toledo error to score its first run of the game in the bottom of the third to halve its deficit.
• The Rockets scored four in the top of the fifth to break it open and make it 6-1. Winterstein and Strother both had two-run doubles to increase Toledo's lead.
• Three more runs came in for the Midnight Blue and Gold in the top of the fifth to make it 9-1.
• Winterstein drove in his fourth run of the game in the top of the seventh on a deep fly ball to center field that scored Meyers easily and put the score at 10-1.