JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Toledo baseball team put together a four-run ninth inning on Saturday to win 6-4 at East Tennessee State.
Trailing 4-2 heading into the top of the ninth, freshman
Troy Sudbrook drew a leadoff walk and junior
Jeron Williams singled to put runners at first and second with no outs. Facing an 0-2 count, sophomore
Garret Pike drove a three-run home run over the right field fence to give Toledo a 5-4 lead. Two batters later, sophomore
Owen Jackson singled to bring home senior
Mason Sykes and push the lead to 6-4. Junior
Camryn Szynski shut down the Bucs in the bottom of the ninth to close out a sparkling performance by the bullpen and secure the win.
"I'm very proud of the way the team came back and responded today," head coach
Rob Reinstetle said. "It all starts on the mound.
Noah Johnson kept us in the game, but the bullpen was fantastic.
Cal McAninch and
Kyle Music were both good and Cam Szynski shut the door in the ninth. I told the pitching staff that if they can give us a chance our offense is dangerous. We are never out of a game, and that proved to be true today. We had good at-bats all day and hit a bunch of balls right on the screws, just right at them. But when it mattered most, we got some guys on and
Garret Pike came through big time with a three-run blast to put us ahead. Then
Mason Sykes tripled and
Owen Jackson gets him in. Just an awesome way for us to win a game. With the series tied up, we have a great opportunity to get out of here with a series win."
Pike drove in half of Toledo's runs with his go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning. Jackson reached base twice and drove in an insurance run in the final inning, while Sykes went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Sophomore
Caden Konczak drove in a run on a sac fly in the first inning.
The trio of Szynski and juniors
Cal McAninch and
Kyle Music combined to toss 5.1 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. McAninch pitched 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out three, Music earned the win with a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and Szynski sent ETSU down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
The rubber match in this weekend series will take place on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
How it Happened
- Jeron Williams opened the game with a base hit in the top of the first and came around to score two batters later on Mason Sykes' base hit to give UT a 1-0 lead. Sykes would later score on Caden Konczak's sac fly to give Toledo a 2-0 lead before ETSU had a chance to bat.
- East Tennessee State's Cameron Sisneros tied the game in the bottom of the first with a two-run, two-out single up the middle to make it 2-2.
- The Bucs added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.
- Cal McAninch entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and allowed just two hits over the next 3.1 innings, and neither runner advanced into scoring position.
- Kyle Music allowed a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth, but retired the next three hitters to keep the score at 4-2.
- Garret Pike's big blast in the top of the ninth stunned the Bucs and put Toledo ahead, 5-4. Sykes tripled in the next at-bat and scored on pitch later on Owen Jackson's base hit down the line in left field to make it a 6-4 ballgame.
- Camryn Szynski's perfect bottom of the ninth gave him the save and sealed Toledo's first win of the year.
