ATHENS, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team will come home from Athens, Ohio with a series split after winning the first game of Sunday's doubleheader at Ohio, 11-5, before falling 10-3 in game two.
The Rockets were able to pour it on offensively in the latter half of game one to claim a victory, but couldn't generate the same level of production at the plate in game two.
"I was really happy with the way we played in game one today," head coach
Rob Reinstetle said. "We got a quality start out of
Jordan Power and
Cal McAninch was good out of the bullpen. The offense was clicking on all cylinders. It was a good all-around win for us. Game two was a totally different story. I have to give credit to Ohio's starting pitcher. He threw the ball well and kept us off-balance. We just couldn't get anything going against him. Our pitching also really struggled in game two. We walked too many hitters, we were always behind in the count, and then left pitches up in the zone to hit. So we take a split on the road and are right in the mix near the top of the MAC standings. We are at home the next three weekends and need to play well down the stretch."
The top half of the lineup did its job in game one against the Bobcats. Sophomores
Jeron Williams and
Scott Mackiewicz both scored three times hitting out of the one- and two-holes in the order, respectively. Williams went 3-for-4 at the plate and Mackiewicz turned in a 1-for-3 day that included a two-run home run. Senior
John Servello reached base three times, tallying two walks and a double, and freshman
Garret Pike went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs.
On the mound, senior
Jordan Power threw five solid innings and struck out four. Junior
Cal McAninch came in and shut the door in the final two innings to earn his third save of the year.
Five pitchers saw time in game two, including sophomore
Camryn Szynski who got the nod to start for a second straight Sunday. Junior
Mason Sykes went 1-for-3 and scored twice and freshmen
Caden Konczak and Braden White both tallied RBIs.
Toledo returns home for a four-game series this weekend against Kent State. Home series against Eastern Michigan and non-conference foe Austin Peay will follow as the Rockets will be playing at Scott Park for the rest of the month of April.
How it Happened (Game 1)
- A sac fly in the bottom of the second put Ohio ahead early.
- The Rockets tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third. With runners on first and third, the Bobcats traded two outs for a run and turned a double play that allowed White to score from third.
- Senior Zach Schwartenberger brought in the go-ahead run on a squeeze bunt in the top of the fourth to make it 2-1.
- The top of the fifth inning saw the Rockets take a 6-1 lead, albeit unconventionally. Following an RBI double by Servello, Mackiewicz jogged home after a balk was called on Ohio's pitcher. Pike followed that up with an RBI single into the gap in right-center field, then later scored on an obstruction call to cap a wild inning.
- Ohio returned the favor in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four runs to make it 6-5. The Bobcats nearly hit for the cycle in that inning, scoring their runs on a single, double, and two-run triple.
- Whereas Ohio's offensive production came to a halt, the Rockets kept things rolling in the sixth and seventh.
- Pike and Sykes both drove in runs in the top of the sixth to put the score at 9-5.
- Williams' RBI triple in the top of the seventh preceded Mackiewicz's two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning in UT's 11-5 win.
How it Happened (Game 2)
- Ohio scored first again in game two, but this time continued to pile it on before the Rockets got on the scoreboard.
- The Bobcats added three runs in the bottom of the third and a run in the sixth to take a 5-0 lead.
- Konczak's ground ball to the shortstop brought in the first run of the game in the top of the seventh, and an error on the second baseman allowed a second run to score to put Toledo within three, 5-2.
- Ohio answered with a five-run bottom of the seventh to take a commanding 10-2 lead.
- White drove in a run on a sac fly in the top of the ninth, but it was too little too late in the Rockets' 10-3 setback.