ATHENS, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team squashed a late Ohio rally to win Saturday's meeting, 11-8, and tie the weekend series in Athens, Ohio at 1-1.
 
The Rockets led 11-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Bobcats scored a run in the sixth, two in the seventh, and one in the eighth to make it an 11-8 game. Ohio continued to put the pressure on in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases and bringing the winning run to the plate. Despite the late momentum shift, sophomore Kyle Pijaszek was able to work his way out of trouble and escape unscathed.
 
"I'm really happy with how we responded tonight after a tough loss last night," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "A lesser team would have felt sorry for themselves, but we came ready to play today. I have to give credit to Ohio, they battled and fought us for all nine innings. After a rocky first inning, Connor Brandon settled in and pitched well, then Brennan McCune and Kyle Pijaszek finished it up out of the bullpen. The story of the day was the offense and how they made every hit count. Last night we left 14 runners on base and could never get that big hit. Tonight we did it on multiple occasions, none bigger than John Servello's bases-loaded double. Now we have some positive momentum and need to come back tomorrow and play well in the doubleheader."
 
Toledo received offensive production throughout the lineup on Saturday. Senior John Servello went 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run double that proved to be the difference in the win. Junior Darryn Davis went 2-for-5 with a couple RBIs and two extra-base hits. Freshman Garret Pike reached base three times, walking once and tallying two hits, while sophomore Scott Mackiewicz reached base three times as well and scored all three times.
 
Junior Mason Sykes, redshirt freshman Trey Wright, and freshman Caden Konczak all drove in runs in the victory.
 
Sophomore Connor Brandon started the game on the mound, striking out six in eight innings of work. Pijaszek entered the game in a precarious situation in the bottom of the eighth, but ended up pitching a scoreless 1.2 innings while notching a pair of strikeouts.
 
The series will conclude with a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1:00 p.m.
 
How it Happened

• Ohio opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead.
• The Rockets cut the deficit to one, 3-2, with a couple runs in the top of the second. Konczak's ground ball to first base brought in the first run, then Wright scampered home on a wild pitch.
• Ohio got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI triple by Ian Peterson.
• A four-run top of the third gave Toledo the lead. Sykes grounded out with the bases loaded, but Mackiewicz was able to score and put the Rockets within a run, 4-3. Davis then drove in the go-ahead runs on a two-run double down the line in right field, and he later scored on Wright's sacrifice fly.
• Pike added to UT's lead with an RBI double in the top of the fourth to make the score 7-4.
• Another four-run inning for the Rockets gave them an 11-4 advantage in the top of the fifth. Mackiewicz walked with the bases loaded to bring in the first run of the inning, then Servello broke the game open with a bases-clearing double to center field.
• Ohio chipped away at the Toledo lead in the sixth and seventh, trimming its deficit to 11-7.
• The Rockets ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth after the Bobcats used back-to-back base hits to bring in a run and make the score 11-8. Pijaszek entered the game with runners on first and second and one out and proceeded to induce an inning-ending double play.
• Ohio brought the game-winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. The first two batters of the inning reached base, then a one-out walk loaded the bases with the top of the Bobcats' lineup coming to the plate. But Pijaszek worked his way out of the jam and sealed the deal on an 11-8 win.