Maryland baseball stays hot, takes down James Madison in midweek clash

Oliver Schaack
May 8
3 min read

In an extra-inning scoring affair, Maryland took the season series against James Madison with a road victory over the Dukes by a final of 6-4 in 10 innings.

Maryland got the scoring started in the top of the third to gain a 2-0 lead. The early runs proved to be enough early as an unsung hero came through.

The Achilles heel of the Dirty Terps finally came through with a solid performance on the mound from starting pitcher Brayden Ryan. Ryan’s season ERA was north of seven coming into the start.

The 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher twirled five scoreless innings to maintain a narrow 2-0 lead. Depth on the mound has been a big issue the past two seasons in Head Coach Matt Swope’s first two campaigns at the position, including this year. A quality start in a midweek matchup was beyond a blessing for the Terps. However, the good times for Ryan only lasted for so long.

The bottom of sixth hit, and the bats finally awoke for the Dukes. Ryan Dooley led the inning off with a single, and a few batters later Wyatt Peifer worked a walk to put two on with one out for JMU. The Dukes went to the bench to come through, and that’s exactly what Eli Steadman did with an emphatic pinch-hit two-rbi triple to get James Madison on the board. Jack Anderson’s sacrifice fly the next at-bat scored Steadman from third.

JMU held their first lead of the game, 3-2.

But just like last year’s “Cardiac Terps”, Maryland responded immediately. Aden Hill and Paul Jones II led off the top of the seventh with walks, followed by a Parker Corbin single to load the bases with nobody out.

The bottom of the order got on base, and the top order came through. Brayden Martin and Chris Hacopian both grounded into fielder’s choice ground balls to short, both the combo reclaimed the lead for Maryland, this time at 4-3.

The bottom of the eighth started and freshman Jake Yeager was trying to pitch a second straight scoreless inning after coming into the game in the seventh. His scoreless outing, in an instant, was erased. Piefer came through once again, this time a solo home run to tie things up at 4 runs apiece.

That blow to the Terps was massive, and was the eventual deciding factor that sent the game into extra innings.

The top of the 10th began with a Parker Corbin fly out, and the order turned to the top of the lineup, where the Terps’ best in the order got it going.

Martin worked a walk and Chris Hacopian was drilled by a pitch to put two on with Hollis Porter stepping to the dish. Porter took the wheel from this point, and one of Big Ten’s best sluggers came through with a two-RBI double. Maryland gained the lead insurance with the two runs, and took the 6-4 lead into the bottom of the frame.

Cristofer Cespedes had the ball on the mound in the tenth after getting two outs in the ninth. In an intense situation and game with the Terps’ postseason hopes dangling by a thread, the freshman got the job done and got Maryland the much-needed victory.

Cespedes earned the victory for his first win as a Terp and a college pitcher. Swope and company will now turn their attention to this weekend as they head to Minnesota for a series against the Golden Gophers.

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