YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team slugged its way to 18 runs, including a trio of three-run home runs, en route to an 18-8 victory in seven innings against Youngstown State at Eastwood Field on Tuesday.
 
The Rockets moved back above .500 at 17-16 overall (10-5 MAC) with the victory, while the Penguins fell to 4-27 (2-10 Horizon). Toledo hit four home runs overall and the offensive performance featured an eight-run sixth inning which bookended a weather delay, marking Toledo's third instance of eight or more runs in an inning this season.
 
"We came and did what we needed to do tonight," said Head Coach Rob Reinstetle. "Yianni Skeriotis gave us another good mid-week start. The bats were good all night as we had multiple big innings and home runs. Now we can turn our attention to a big MAC weekend vs. a very good Kent State team."
 
Senior Owen Jackson hit home runs in his first two at-bats, marking his third game with two home runs this season. He finished 3-for-3 overall, tying a season and career high with five RBIs. Junior Brayden White and redshirt freshman Luke Walton also contributed three hits each, with White totaling four RBIs and Walton three. Freshmen Charlie Scholvin and J.P. Wagner added two hits apiece.
 
Walton, Jackson and junior Garret Pike each crossed the plate three times to lead the Rockets, while White, Scholvin and senior Scott Mackiewicz each scored twice.
 
On the mound, senior Yianni Skerotis started and went 3.2 innings, allowing three runs, one earned on five hits. Five different relievers saw action for the Rockets, as sophomore Nathan Leininger, senior Matt LeLito, sophomore Dane Hall, junior Christian Lothes and senior Kyle Music all took the mound on Tuesday. Hall pitched a scoreless inning on 10 pitches.
 
Toledo and Kent State (15-15, 7-5 MAC) will open up a three-game set on Friday, April 12 at 3:00 p.m. at Scott Park.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Walton supplied a one-out single to plate Mackiewicz in the top of the first. Then, with two on, Jackson hit a three-run home run to right-center to give Toledo a 4-0 lead after a half inning.
• RBI singles from Garrett Pike and White extended the lead in 6-0 in the second.
• Jackson's second home run pushed the lead further to 7-0 in the third.
• The Penguins got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. A two-run single then cut the deficit to 7-3 in the bottom of the fourth.
• Youngstown State plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly, an RBI single and an RBI groundout, pulling within a run at 7-6.
• The Rockets loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the sixth, then exploded for five runs with two coming from a fielding error, followed by two more on a Walton double and the final run before on a Jackson single, which preceded the one-hour, 45-minute weather delay.
• Following the delay, Mariano homered to left to put the Rockets up 15-6.
• White hit Toledo's third three-run home run of the game in the top of the seventh, before the Penguins put two on the board in the bottom of the frame.