Maryland baseball tops Michigan State in Big Ten opener

Maryland baseball played their first Big Ten series of the season over the weekend at home against Michigan State, and it was filled with drama. Despite taking the first game in extras, Michigan State stunned Maryland in the second game and it looked for a while in game three it looked like Sparty was gonna take the series. However, the Terps rallied super late and were able to snatch game three and the series from Michigan State to keep their Big Ten series win streak alive. Here’s a look at how the series went:

Friday: Maryland 7, Michigan State 6 (10 Innings)

The Terps were able to start 1-0 In conference play, but it sure did not come easy. It was another rough start for Kenny Lippman. Michigan State scored early and often putting up three in the first courtesy of RBI hits from Jack Frank and Christian Williams. The Terps got one of those runs back in the second when Jordan Crosland hit a solo homer. They were able to take the lead in the fourth when Chris Hacopian doubled to bring in a run, and Jacob Orr hit a two-run homer, making the score 4-3. With the score at 5-3 going to the 7th, Sam Thompson homered for Sparty making it 5-4. In the 9th, Thompson would come through again hitting an RBI single with two out to tie the game at 5. After Maryland went scoreless in the bottom of the ninth, Michigan State scored on a wild pitch in the 10th making it 6-5. In the bottom of the tenth, Maryland loaded the bases with one out thanks to a single, walk, and hit by pitch. With the bases loaded, freshman Brayden Martin came through for the Terps with a walk-off two-run single to right giving Maryland the win and a 1-0 start in conference play.

Saturday: Michigan State 5, Maryland 2

On Saturday, Maryland dropped their first home game of the season and were also handed their first conference loss of the season. Defensive miscues were a big story in Saturday’s game. Sparty scored twice in the first; the first one came on a fielding error by Eddie Hacopian. With two runners on in the third and the score still at 2-0, Chris Hacopian made a throwing error from third that allowed two more to score making it 4-0 Spartans. Maryland got on the board in the bottom of the third thanks to a Kevin Keister sac fly. The Terps had a chance to get back in the game in the fifth with two on and two out, but Keister couldn’t come through. They got one back in the sixth when Sam Hojnar cleared the fence making it 4-2, but that was all the offense the Terps would get. Sparty scored one more in the eighth on an RBI hit from Christian Williams. Nick Powers started for Michigan State and was dominant. He went eight innings allowing just the two runs and striking out five. Logan Koester picked up his first loss of the season, but still had a strong outing. He recorded one out in the eighth inning while throwing 115 pitches and allowing just two earned runs.

Sunday: Maryland 5, Michigan State 4 (10 innings)

Maryland was able to get on the board first Sunday in a bit of an unconventional method. Jacob Orr laid down a bunt with two outs that brought home the first run of the game. Joey McMannis was superb through the first four but gave up a homer to Christian Williams in the fifth to tie the game. McMannis got into some trouble in the sixth and Sparty was able to grab the lead when Ryan McKay singled home a pair of runs. In the 7th, Michigan State was able to make it 4-1 when Noah Bright left the yard. Maryland threatened in the seventh putting runners on the corners, but Chris Hacopian struck out to end the frame. It looked like Maryland was dead to rights, but in the eighth inning, the cardiac Terps did it again. First, the Terps made it 4-3 thanks to an Alex Calarco RBI knock and a wild pitch. Elijah Lambros came to the dish with the bases loaded and was hit by a pitch to tie the game. Following that, Chris Hacopian narrowly missed a go-ahead grand slam hitting it 110 off the bat and just short of the wall. The two teams went scoreless in the ninth and the game went to extras. In the tenth, Sparty went scoreless in the top half. In the bottom half, for the second time this weekend, freshman Brayden Martin came through lining a knock to left, giving Maryland the win, and the series win.

Takeaways:

Late Inning Heroics

For the fourth time in the last two weeks, Maryland picked up a win in their last at-bat of the game. This time, it was their first and second walk-off wins of the season. This has been a common theme in recent years for the Terps and it appears it has not gone away.

Defensive Miscues

Entering Sunday’s series finale, the Terps had made 28 errors, which is the second-highest number in the Big Ten (Indiana, 32). Saturday was the first time this season that their defense probably cost them a win. It’s an aspect of the game that Maryland is going to have to clean up. Dropping conference games because of defense is not something a team chasing a title can afford.

Brilliant Brayden

Brayden Martin is carving himself a massive role on this Maryland team not only this season but in future seasons as well. He came through when it mattered most not once, but twice this weekend for Maryland. It has become clear that Martin will be getting more and more at-bats in clutch time. It’s pretty remarkable how calm the freshman has been able to stay in these high-pressure moments.

Up next:

Maryland will stay in the DMV this week taking on Georgetown in Tysons Corner for their lone midweek game of the week. They will then fly to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan for the weekend. Tuesday’s game will not be on a streaming platform. Next Friday and Saturday’s games can be streamed on Big Ten Plus, while Sunday’s game can be seen on Big Ten Network. It will be the first televised game of the season for Maryland. All Maryland Baseball games are free to listen to on the Maryland Baseball Network.

Maryland baseball tops Michigan State in Big Ten opener

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