TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo baseball crossed the plate 23 times across two games, earning a 12-1 victory in game one and an 11-7 victory in game two to take both games of a Mid-American Conference doubleheader against Kent State at Scott Park on Saturday.
 
The Rockets (19-16, 12-5 MAC) won their fifth conference series of the season, including their fourth straight. Kent State (15-17, 7-7 MAC) dropped back to .500 in league play.
 
"That was an outstanding day. Doubleheaders are always tough, but we competed hard and came away with two big wins vs. a very good Kent State team, especially finding a way in the later innings of the second game," said Head Coach Rob Reinstetle. "Grant Umberger gave us another outstanding start and Jackson Bergman was excellent in relief, while Noah Johnson competed hard and Jacob Tabor was superb to finish game two. The offense was superb all day and just kept finding ways to score, with Garret Pike having a special game in the opener. We need another good day tomorrow, as we have won the series and are in a position to sweep."
 
Pike finished the doubleheader 5-for-8 and reached base seven times, including a 5-for-5 effort in the first game with three home runs and five RBIs. Senior Scott Mackiewicz and juniors Braden White and Trey Wright each went 3-for-5 in the second game, with both White and Wright collecting two RBIs apiece. White totaled four hits across the doubleheader along with freshman Luke Walton, who was 4-for-9 with a home run, double and an RBI. All nine players in the lineup collected at least one RBI on Saturday.
 
On the mound, Umberger (5-2) pitched 6.0 scoreless innings to win game one, giving up just four hits and striking out nine. Johnson started the second game, going 5.0 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and striking out seven. The bullpen allowed just three runs over 7.0 innings of combined work, as freshman Jacob Tabor (2-0) worked the final 3.2 innings of game two, giving up just one hit in scoreless relief.
 
Pike marked Toledo's first three-home run game individually since Jeron Williams on May 20, 2023 against Bowling Green and hit multiple home runs for the fourth time this season. As a team, Toledo has scored double-digit runs in three straight games for the first time since doing so four straight times between April 19-23, 2023.
 
The Rockets and Golden Flashes will wrap up the three-game set on Sunday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m. at Scott Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED             
 
GAME ONE

• Garret Pike's solo shot over the left-field fence in the first provided the Rockets an early lead.
• Toledo tacked another run onto its lead on Brayden White's run-scoring fielder's choice.
• Pike blasted another home in the fifth to increase UT's margin to 3-0.
• Owen Jackson's two-run bomb highlighted a three-run sixth for a 6-0 Rocket cushion.
• White drove in his second run of the day in the seventh for a 7-0 advantage.
• Pike capped off the victory with a three-run dinger as part of a five-run eighth.

GAME TWO

• After the Rockets loaded the bases with nobody out, White drove home two on a single, followed by a Jackson sacrifice fly to put UT up 3-0 after one.
• Kent State hit a solo home run in the second to cut the lead to 3-1.
• The Rockets started the bottom of the second with three singles, with Mackiewicz driving home a run. Pike then earned another RBI with a fielder's choice to extend the lead to 5-1.
• KSU slugged two home runs in the top of the third to pull to within 5-4.
• The Rockets responded in the bottom of the third on a JP Wagner RBI groundout.
• Kent State hit a two-out RBI single to cut the lead to one in the fifth.
• With two on, Wright singled to left to restore the two-run lead in the bottom of the inning.
• A leadoff hit-by-pitch followed by an opposite-field home run tied the game at seven in the top of the sixth.
• Two singles followed by a passed ball plated Jackson in the seventh, and a squeeze play followed to put Toledo up 9-7 after seven innings.
• Luke Walton crushed a solo home run to right and Wright singled to cap the scoring in the eighth.