Toledo Reporter

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday with a convincing 24-8 win vs. Akron.

The Rockets' (10-11, 4-4 MAC) 24 runs are their most since scoring 27 runs vs. Olivet College in 2010. Saturday's total was fueled by an explosive 12-run bottom of the second that put the game out of reach shortly after it began.

Eight of nine Toledo starters drove in multiple runs, with sophomore Garret Pike and junior Jeron Williams leading the way with four RBIs apiece.

"I'm proud of the way the boys bounced back today after a tough loss yesterday," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "We haven't played that bad lately, we just haven't had a few things go our way. Today was a different story. We hit, pitched, and played good defense. The wind was howling today, but it was howling for both teams. I thought all three guys that pitched were composed and made good pitches all day. Our defense didn't make an error and we had no misplayed balls. Despite the wind, we hit the ball really well. All in all, today's performance was just what we needed. The true test will be if we can get some consistency going and start playing the type of baseball we've been expecting all year."

Williams went 4-for-6 with four RBIs and four runs scored, falling a double short of the cycle. The Archbold, Ohio native extended his hitting streak to 29 games. Pike also drove in four runs and scored three times. Sophomore Brayden White, sophomore Caden Konczak, sophomore Brian Fry, and freshman Troy Sudbrook all recorded three-hit outings against the Zips. Senior Mason Sykes reached base four times and scored four runs, one of which came on a solo homer.

Sykes' homer was the 30th of his career, making him the fifth Rocket ever with at least 30 career home runs. He is now six away from breaking Dan Sherwood's (2008-11) all-time record of 35 career homers.

Junior Jack Walker made the start on the mound and struck out four in 4.2 innings. Freshman Nathan Leininger was terrific, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen while tallying four strikeouts. Junior Kyle Music pitched the final two innings of the game.

The rubber match between Toledo and Akron will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday at Scott Park.

How it Happened

• Akron's Ian Pennington opened the scoring with a solo homer in the bottom of the first to make it 1-0.
• The Rockets scored four in the bottom of the first to take a 4-1 lead. Brayden White tied the game with an RBI single and Jeron Williams later scored on a passed ball to make it 2-1. Daunte DeCello then lined a 1-0 pitch into left field for a two-run single to put UT ahead, 4-1.
• Toledo exploded for 12 runs in the bottom of the second, sending 16 batters to the plate and taking a 16-1 lead. Garret Pike's two-run single kicked things off, and Brayden White and Mason Sykes followed with RBI singles of their own. Brian Fry's two-run double made it 10-1, then scored on Troy Sudbrook's base hit into center field. Williams and Pike each smacked two-run homers, then Caden Konczak capped the inning with a two-out RBI double.
• The Rockets scored two more in the bottom of the third to make it 18-1. Sykes scampered home on a passed ball and Fry scored easily on a fielder's choice.
• The Zips scored three in the top of the fourth to make it 18-4.
• Akron cut into Toledo's lead with back-to-back-to-back home runs in the top of the fifth, putting the score at 18-7.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Konczak crushed the first pitch he saw to make it 19-7 with a solo homer.
• Sykes joined the home run club with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh to bring Toledo's run total to 20.
• The Rockets were far from done, scoring four more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Fry drove in a run on a sac fly and Williams lined a triple into the gap in right-center field to bring home two runs. Senior Marcus Strother's pinch-hit RBI single drove in Toledo's final run of the game.
• Akron added a run in the top of the ninth to bring about the final score of 24-8.

Original source can be found here.