Rockets Fall to Bobcats in 10 Innings, 6-5

Friday, April 8

Athens, Ohio

5:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

13-15, 7-9

Ohio

12-12, 6-7

Toledo

Ohio

Mason Sykes drove in three runs and hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the ninth inning of Toledo's 6-5 extra-inning setback at Ohio.

Photo by: Ross Achter

4/8/2022 8:48:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

ATHENS, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team opened its weekend series at Ohio with a 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Bobcats on Friday.

With the Rockets trailing 5-3 in the top of the ninth, junior Mason Sykes launched a two-out, two-run home run to tie the game at 5-5. Toledo left the bases loaded in the top of the 10^th and Ohio's Mason Minzey led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk-off solo home run.

Junior Kyle Jones started the game strong and ended up tossing 6.2 innings while striking out eight. Redshirt freshman Patrick Dillon and junior Cal McAninch saw time out of the bullpen.

Sykes went 2-for-5 at the plate and drove in three runs to lead the way at the plate. Junior Marcus Strother tallied a couple RBIs and walked twice to help the cause, while freshman Caden Konczak recorded a season-high three hits. Junior Darryn Davis had a multi-hit effort as well, collecting two hits.

The start time for Saturday's doubleheader was pushed back to 3:00 p.m.to accommodate inclement weather in the area.

How it Happened

Toledo got off to a quick start on Friday with a three-run top of the first. All three runs came with two outs as Sykes drove in the first run with a base hit into the gap in left-center field, then two batters later Strother's two-run single made it 3-0.
Ohio's Minzey got his team on the board with an RBI double in the bottom of the first.
Neither team found the scoreboard again until the bottom of the seventh, when the Bobcats scored four runs to take a 5-3 lead. A two-run double by Nick Dolan tied the score at 3-3, then an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk brought in the go-ahead runs.
Davis led off the top of the ninth with a base hit, but the next two UT batters in the order were retired on a fly ball and a strikeout. Down to his team's final out, Sykes launched a two-run home run out to center field to tie the score at 5-5.
McAninch pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Konczak and sophomore Jeron Williams tallied back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second, then both advanced a base to put two runners in scoring position. Senior John Servello was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs, but the Rockets would leave the bases loaded to end the inning.
Minzey led off the bottom of the 10^th inning with a walk-off home run to hand the Bobcats a 6-5 win in the series opener.