Toledo ousted from MAC baseball tournament after splitting games

AVON, Ohio — Sixth-seeded Toledo outlasted the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds at the Mid-American Conference baseball tournament, but the Rockets’ run came to an end Friday afternoon with a 4-3 loss to No. 3 seed Ball State in an elimination game.

The Rockets, who were sent to the elimination bracket with an 8-0 loss Thursday evening to second-seeded Western Michigan, bounced back Friday morning with an 8-4 victory over No. 4 seed Miami (Ohio).

Against Ball State, however, the Rockets couldn’t overcome the Cardinals’ three-run sixth inning, finishing the season with a 27-32 record.

"It always hurts when it ends, but I can't express how proud I am of this team," Toledo coach Rob Reinstetle said. "They battled and fought incredibly hard. We took care of Miami this morning and competed all the way until the last out against Ball State this afternoon."

Toledo jumped out strong against Miami, scoring three runs in the top of the first on Charlie Scholvin’s bases-loaded single. Owen Jackson’s solo home run in the third made it 4-1, a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice made it 6-1 in the fifth, and Luke Walton’s RBI single and JP Wagner’s sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 8-1.

Starting pitcher Jackson Bergman (4-6) nearly went the distance, going 8⅓ innings. He had given up just one run — off of three base hits in the first inning — until the ninth, when he gave up three runs on two singles, a double, and a walk. Kyle Pijaszek came on to close things out with a fielder’s choice and a pop-up.

The game against Ball State was even through five innings, with both teams scoring a run in the fourth on RBI singles.

In the bottom of the sixth, however, Ball State took control when pinch-hitter Matthew Gonzalez connected on a three-run homer off reliever Kyle Music (1-1). Toledo responded in the top of the eighth, scoring a run on a Trey Wright single and another on a Walton single, but the tying run was denied when Wright was thrown out at the plate while trying to make Walton’s hit a two-run single.

Ball State starting pitcher Nate Blain (4-5) worked eight innings for the victory. Sam Klein set the Rockets down in order in the ninth for his seventh save of the season.