KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to send the Toledo baseball team to a 7-5 defeat in the opener of a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Hyames Field.

"That's another really tough loss for us today," Head Coach Rob Reinstetle said. "We did some good things but made some mistakes that ended up hurting us today. That's two of our last three games where we played well enough to win but lost late."

The Rockets left 11 runners on base and loaded the bases with less than two out in the fifth and seventh innings.

"We had a few chances to add to our lead and only came away with a run here or there," Reinstetle said. "Those are the moments we need to pour it on them."

Juniors Caden Konczak and Brayden White paced Toledo offensively with three hits apiece, with White tallying a team-high two RBIs.

Senior Grant Umberger started for the Rockets and received a no-decision after allowing four hits and three runs in four innings. Senior Kyle Pijaszek (1-1) took the loss in relief after allowing two runs (one earned) and two hits. He entered the game with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth with Toledo holding a 5-3 lead.

"We're still in a good spot being 3-1 in the MAC," Reinstetle said. "We can make everything good again by playing well tomorrow and getting out of here with a couple of wins."

The Rockets (7-11, 3-1 MAC) and Broncos (8-8, 1-0 MAC) will wrap up their weekend series with a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 11:00 a.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brayden White's two-out, two-run single put Toledo ahead 3-0 in the opening frame.
• The Broncos evened the score with a pair of runs on RBI singles in the fourth.
• Toledo took a 4-3 lead on Garret Pike's two-RBI single.
• Nate Hill's RBI groundout with the bases loaded gave the Rockets a 5-3 advantage.
• WMU scored all four of its runs after two were out in the eighth. Dylan Nevar and Michael Maloney both delivered two-run singles up the middle that put the Broncos ahead to stay.