TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team held a 6-4 lead through six innings on Friday, but couldn't hold on in a 10-6 loss to Kent State at Scott Park.
The Rockets produced all six runs in the first three innings and held a two-run lead heading into the top of the seventh. The Golden Flashes tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run seventh inning, then scored four in the top of the eighth to go up 10-6. Toledo's offensive well ran dry in the later innings and it could not overcome its four-run deficit.
"We played good baseball today, but we just came out on the losing end of things," head coach
Rob Reinstetle said. "Both teams played well. We jumped them early and scored, but they did their damage late. We each had a bunch of hits, theirs just counted for more with five home runs mixed in there. I told the team to not hang their heads, but to look at it like a four-round heavyweight boxing match. They won round one, but there's still three more to go."
Sophomore
Jeron Williams had an outstanding day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and ending his afternoon a triple shy of the cycle. Senior
John Servello also went 3-for-5 at the plate, while freshman
Garret Pike turned in a 2-for-4 performance with a home run and two RBIs. Freshman
Caden Konczak went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.
Junior
Kyle Jones started on the mound and struck out nine in 6.2 innings of work. Junior
Cal McAninch and redshirt freshman
Patrick Dillon saw time out of the bullpen.
The ball was jumping off the bats of both teams on Friday; Kent State slugged five home runs and the Rockets hit two, and both teams combined for 27 hits.
The series continues with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at noon.
How it Happened
- Pike started the scoring with a two-out RBI single to right field in the bottom of the first to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead.
- Kent State's Aidan Longwell tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the second.
- Williams put the Rockets back on top with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second. Freshman Brian Fry reached on a two-out double, then Williams hit one out to left field to put the score at 3-1.
- The Golden Flashes once again used a home run to tie the game, this time off the bat of Jake Reifsnyder in the top of the third to put the score at 3-3.
- Toledo scored three runs in the bottom of the third to retake the lead, 6-3. Pike led off the inning with a towering home run to right field, then Williams' two-run single extended UT's lead to three.
- Kent State trimmed the deficit to two with a run in the top of the fourth to make the score 6-4.
- Neither team scored again until the top of the seventh when Kent State's Jacob Casey tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run home run to right field.
- The Golden Flashes used a four-run top of the eighth to take the lead for good in their 10-6 win. Mike McNamara provided the game-winning run, sending the first pitch of the inning over the fence in right-center field for a leadoff homer.