Toledo Reporter

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team trailed Akron, 9-7, in the bottom of the ninth when sophomore Owen Jackson crushed a three-run, walk-off home run to cap a thrilling 10-9 victory at Scott Park on Sunday.

The Rockets (11-11, 5-4 MAC) led for much of the game until a four-run top of the eighth put the Zips ahead, 9-7. Freshman Troy Sudbrook led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and junior Jeron Williams singled to put two runners on for Jackson. The sophomore slugger took the first pitch he saw for a strike and then, after stepping out of the box to confer with head coach Rob Reinstetle, obliterated the next pitch for a three-run home run. Jackson's 10th home run of the season, tied for first in the MAC, ended with him being mobbed at home plate by the rest of the Rockets.

"I can't say that we played great today, but a win is a win and we'll always take those," Reinstetle said. "This was one of those wins where you just grind it out until the end. That was just what we needed to win in that fashion. I really hope this propels us forward and gets us moving on to bigger and better things. I'm just really proud of the guys."

Jackson, who had been kept out of the hit column the previous two games of the series, went 2-for-5 on Sunday and drove in four runs, three of which came on his game-winning homer. Williams went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored, extending his hitting streak to 30 games, the first 30-game hitting streak by a Rocket since Chris Dudics' school-record 39-game streak in 2010.

Making his second straight start at third base, Sudbrook went 2-for-2 with a home run and three runs scored, and sophomore Garret Pike homered for the second straight game.

Five different pitchers saw time on the mound. Junior Matt LeLito made the start and tallied a season-high eight strikeouts.

Toledo returns home to host Youngstown State on Tuesday, March 28 at 3:00 p.m.

How it Happened

• A bases-loaded walk in the top of the second put Akron on top, 1-0.
• The Zips extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third on a two-run triple off the bat of Jack Poist.
• Toledo took the lead with a four-run third inning. Jeron Williams got UT on the board after poking an RBI single through the left side of the infield, then Garret Pike's three-run homer to right field made the score 4-3.
• Troy Sudbrook lifted a 1-0 pitch over the fence in right field for his first collegiate home run to put the score at 5-3.
• Akron's Max Bowman made it 5-4 with a leadoff home run in the top of the sixth and then tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh with an RBI single.
• Toledo retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Williams drove in the go-ahead run on a base hit into left field and then showcased his speed by scoring from second on Jackson's infield single.
• The Zips homered twice in the top of the eighth and scored four runs to take a late 9-7 lead.
• Sudbrook drew a leadoff walk to open the bottom of the ninth, and Williams singled to put two runners on for Jackson. The Kankakee, Ill. native lifted an 0-1 pitch over the fence in right field to stun the Zips and win the game for the Midnight Blue and Gold.

Original source can be found here.