In a win or go home regional final, the Maryland baseball team lost to the UConn Huskies by a score of 11-8 and bring an end to their magical season.
Luke Shliger blasted a home run to kick off the game, giving the Terps an early one-run lead though the Terps were not able to bring in any more runs after that and quickly lost momentum. The Terps went with pitcher Andrew Johnson to start the game after winning the game the night before. But on Monday night, Johnson would give up a run before being pulled for Sean Heine. Heine then on his first pitch hit the batter to give the Huskies the lead. The Huskies then hit a grand slam to make it a 6-1 game heading into the second inning.
In the top of the second, the Terps were unable to cut into the Huskies’ lead, keeping it at a five run deficit. Heine walked the first batter for the Huskies in the second and was then pulled for David Falco. Falco was able to retire the next three batters to send it to the third with the score still 6-1. UConn tacked on another run in the bottom of the third to stretch the lead with Maryland unable to respond. With the first batter of the bottom half of the fourth inning the Huskies hit another home run to make it a 8-1 game. The Huskies then drove in another run to make it a 9-1 game going into the fifth inning.
But Maryland began making noise in the top of the fifth, cutting the Huskies’ lead to seven. Nick Lorusso then drove in Keister to make it a 9-3 Huskie lead. In the next at-bat, Shliger came home thanks to a wild pitchto then make it a 9-4 game. Troy Schreffler then drove in Lorusso to cut the lead to four. The top of the fifth would end with Huskie outfielder T.C Simmons making a diving catch off a fly ball hit by Maxwell Costes to keep the lead at four. The Huskies would end up adding a run in the fifth to bring the lead back to five heading into the sixth inning.
Maryland then regained momentum again to start the seventh after Shliger hit a double and Chris Alleyne followed that up by hitting a home run over the right-field wall, making it a 10-7 game heading into the bottom half of the seventh. Will Glock would come in for the Terps in the seventh, and he would help keep it a 10-7 game heading into the eighth.
The Terps were able to get a run early in the top of the eighth to make it a 10-8 game. Alleyne hit a single and brought Keister home but it was called back due to a controversial “running lane interference” and the Huskies would then go into the bottom of the eighth with it still a 10-8 game.
Matt Orlando came in for the bottom of the eighth for the Terps, but after giving up a double, Lorusso was then brought in to pitch the rest of the inning. The Huskies were able to add a run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 11-8 heading into the ninth. With one final chance in the ninth, the Terps couldn’t muster any offense to game and thus their 2022 record-breaking campaign falling by a final score of 11-8.
Despite the loss, the Terps closed the book on the most storied season in decades. Maryland finished the 2022 season with a school-record 48 victories, hit a single-season school record for home runs (137), most runs scored (572), most hits (683), most doubles (143), most RBIs (534) and most walks (337). Alleyne also ended the season with a program record for home runs (24) and Shliger for most runs scored (79).