TOLEDO, Ohio – A 14-run inning, 26 total runs, 31 total hits, and two victories; Toledo's doubleheader sweep of Eastern Michigan on Saturday had a little bit of everything.
 
The Rockets won game one, 5-2, off the strength of an outstanding pitching performance from sophomore Connor Brandon and another three-hit day for sophomore Jeron Williams.
 
Then came game two, a 21-7 run-rule victory that saw Toledo crack the 20-run plateau for the first time since 2017 and an unrelenting 14-run second inning that all but ended the game shortly after it began. The last time the Rockets scored at least 10 runs in an inning was April 6, 2010 against Olivet College when they scored 12 in the bottom of the fifth of a 27-8 win. The last time it happened against a Division I opponent was March 13, 2009 against Vermont when they scored 10 in the bottom of the fourth of a 14-12 victory.
 
"What an awesome day for the Rockets," head coach Rob Reinstetle said.  "We played outstanding baseball all day long. After winning yesterday, to win the doubleheader today is fantastic. We got two great starts on the mound from Connor Brandon and Jordan Power, and the offense had a huge day. I can't even single one person out individually because they all produced. We're playing well right now, which is exciting to see. But we have one more to go tomorrow and we really want to sweep the series and cap this weekend off the right way."

Toledo improves to 21-17 overall with a 15-11 record in Mid-American Conference play this year. The third-place Rockets increased their lead over fourth-place Ohio (17-17, 10-10 MAC) in the conference standings, with the Bobcats playing out of conference play this weekend against Canisius. Central Michigan (25-10, 19-1 MAC) and Ball State (22-14, 16-4 MAC) retain their grips on first and second place, respectively, in the conference race. The top four teams will make the conference tournament, which will be hosted by the regular season champion.
 
Brandon's complete game effort and Williams' 3-for-4 performance at the plate highlighted the first game. Brandon struck out five and had a shutout going until the top of the seventh. Williams tallied three hits at the dish for the third straight game and tied a season-best with three runs scored. Sophomore Scott Mackiewicz, freshman Garret Pike, junior Mason Sykes, and redshirt freshman Trey Wright all drove in runs for Toledo in the first game as well.
 
Game two was an offensive onslaught, with seven of the nine starters recording multiple hits and seven Rockets tallying at least two RBIs. Williams registered his fourth-straight three-hit game and drove in a couple runs; senior John Servello drove in four runs and hit his fourth home run of the season; Mackiewicz drove in a couple runs and scored twice; junior Darryn Davis went 3-for-4 with a home runs and scored three runs; freshman Caden Konczak was a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs; and freshmen Brayden White and Brian Fry had identical 3-for-4 lines and both had three RBIs and three runs scored.
 
Toledo also received offensive contributions from senior Nicky Winterstein, who hit a pinch-hit two-run homer, and Noah Matousek, who went 1-for-1 with a double and a hit by pitch in his Rocket debut. Senior Jordan Power tossed five solid innings and struck out five after getting the start in game two.
 
The Rockets will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Scott Park.
 
How it Happened (Game 1)

• Toledo started the day off with a three-run bottom of the first to take an early lead. Pike and Sykes drove in runs on back-to-back RBI singles, then Wright made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.
• Mackiewicz pushed the lead to 4-0 with a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth.
• Williams extended the Rockets' lead to 5-0 with a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
• Brandon had retired seven straight batters entering the top of the seventh. EMU tagged him for a couple runs, but Brandon shut the door and got the final out to finish his seven-inning complete game.

 
 How it Happened (Game 2)

• The bottom of the second inning was one of the biggest offensive outbursts in recent memory. The Rockets exploded for 14 runs, 14 hits, and sent 18 batters to the plate, nearly batting around twice.
• Davis led off the inning with a solo home run to begin a streak of six straight hits for Toledo. After a sacrifice fly and a strikeout, UT's next nine batters reached base safely before a 5-4 putout on a fielder's choice ended the inning.
• Eastern Michigan got a run in the top of the third one a ground ball to the shortstop, but the Rockets answered with a six-run bottom of the inning to take a staggering 20-1 lead.
• The Midnight Blue and Gold batted around again, with Davis once again leading off the inning with a hit to get things started. Konczak followed that up with a walk and White responded with a double down the line in right field to bring home Davis. Williams and Mackiewicz both drove home runs in back-to-back at-bats, then Winterstein launched a towering shot to right field for a pinch-hit, two-run homer to make the score 19-1. Konczak's RBI single brought Toledo's run total to an even 20.
• Freshman Brian Fry's solo home run in the bottom of the fourth capped the scoring in game two for the Rockets.
• The Eagles scored runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh, but it was far little too late and the game ended after the top of the seventh by virtue of the Mid-American Conference's rune rule.