TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team split its Friday doubleheader against Northern Illinois at Scott Park, snapping a three-game losing skid by winning the second game by a score of 11-3. NIU won the first game, 8-1.
The Rockets (29-21, 20-14 MAC) were unable to capitalize on a few prime scoring chances in the first game before exploding for 11 runs in game two. Toledo scored at least one run in each of the first five innings of the second game to take a commanding lead it would not relinquish.
"Well, I liked game two a lot more than game one," head coach
Rob Reinstetle said. "We just came out flat in the first game. We had multiple opportunities to score and just never got the hit to drive them in. But game two was a totally different story, we scored in each of the first five innings and got big hits when we needed them. Tomorrow we need to come out with good energy and focus and take care of our business. We are in a great position in the MAC standings but need to keep pace and finish strong."
With their 20-14 MAC record, the Rockets sit in third place in the conference standings behind Ball State (27-5) and Central Michigan (24-6). Ohio sits in fourth place with a 16-13 record in conference play.
Toledo managed just one run on eight hits in the first game, with freshman
Garret Pike and sophomore
Scott Mackiewicz both tallying two hits apiece. Junior
Kyle Jones started on the mound and struck out eight through five innings, bringing his season strikeout total to 101. Jones is now one strikeout away from tying the single-season strikeout record of 102 (Jeremy Griffiths, 1999).
Game two was a much different story for the Rockets, with offensive production coming from nearly every spot in the lineup. Senior
John Servello had a two-hit game, one of which was a two-run home run, his eighth of the season. Mackiewicz went 2-for-3 with a couple RBIs and two runs scored, while junior
Darryn Davis went 3-for-4 with a game-high three RBIs. Senior
Mason Sykes had two hits and scored twice, and freshman
Brian Fry walked three times and tallied an RBI.
Senior
Jordan Power struck out five in five innings, then sophomores
Kyle Pijaszek and
Cole Rodriguez combined to pitch four shutout innings out of the bullpen.
Toledo and NIU will meet again on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Scott Park. First pitch for Saturday's game was pushed up from the original start time of 1:00 p.m. to avoid potential rain in the forecast later in the afternoon.
Saturday will be Senior Day for the Rockets and seven student-athletes will be recognized prior to the game:
Matt Detering,
Justin Diaz,
Nicky Winterstein,
Jordan Power,
Darryn Davis,
Zach Schwartzenberger, and
John Servello.
How it Happened (Game 1)
- The first run of the game wasn't scored until the top of the fourth, when NIU's Mason Kelley singled up the middle to drive in a run and it 1-0.
- The Huskies extended their lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth, an inning that was highlighted by Aaron Harper's three-run home run.
- Toledo's lone run was scored in the bottom of the fifth. Pike stole third, then scampered home after the throw from the catcher ended up in left field.
- Northern Illinois added three more runs in the top of the seventh to pad its lead and bring about the final score of 8-1.
How it Happened (Game 2)
- The Rockets took an early 3-0 lead with a three-run bottom of the first. With the bases loaded and two outs, Davis shot a line drive into right field that was nearly snagged on a diving catch. All three runners scored and Davis snuck into second base on the throw to give UT the lead.
- A bases-loaded walk in the top of the second got NIU on the board.
- Mackiewicz singled through the right side of the infield to bring in Fry and reestablish a three-run lead for Toledo, putting the score at 4-1.
- The Huskies pulled within a run, 4-3, with two runs in the top of the third.
- Senior Nicky Winterstein made it 5-3 in the bottom of the third with an RBI double deep into the gap in right-center field.
- Mackiewicz's second RBI of the game came on a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth, giving Toledo a 6-3 advantage.
- Toledo took advantage of a bases-loaded walk and an error in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 8-3.
- Servello emphatically pushed the Rockets' lead to 10-3 with a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth. Sykes later scored on a wild pitch to put the score at 11-3, which would hold as the final.