Maryland baseball returned to The Bob this weekend for their second conference series at home. Indiana came into College Park and rolled all over the Terps in the first two games, and looked for their first sweep in College Park since 2015. After not losing a Big Ten series for over two years, the Terps have now lost two in a row. Here’s a look at how the weekend went:
Friday: Indiana 15, Maryland 4
The Terps would take the lead first in Friday’s series opener when Eddie Hacopian hit his third home run of the season to give Maryland a 1-0 lead. Indiana tied it up in the second and then scored four times in the third to make the score 5-1. Maryland got back in it scoring three times in the fourth thanks to RBIs from Jacob Orr, Alex Calarco, and Jordan Crosland, but that’s all the Terps would get. Leading 6-4 going to the top of the eighth, Indiana broke it open scoring eight times in the last two innings leading to a lopsided victory for the Hoosiers in game one. Nick Mitchell, Joey Brenczewski, Josh Pyne, and Jake Stadler combined for all 14 RBIs by Indiana. Kenny Lippman struggled again lasting six innings, but allowed six earned runs in the process. Logan Ott and Duke McCarron each gave up four late in the game. Ty Bothwell went six for IU allowing three runs and striking out seven.
Saturday: Indiana 14, Maryland 2
The middle game of the series was one to forget for Maryland. The Terps were blown out of the water by Indiana. The Hoosiers started fast and never looked back. It started when Nick Mitchell hit a three-run home run with two out in the first to put Indiana in front. Leading 6-0 after five, Indiana broke it wide open in the sixth scoring seven times making it 13-0. The Terps were able to score two in the eighth to avoid the shutout. Logan Koester was rocked for the second consecutive start going just four and a thirds innings allowing six runs. Connor Foley was brilliant for Indiana going six shutout innings allowing just one hit and three walks while striking out ten.
Sunday: Maryland 6, Indiana 5
Maryland got on the board first Sunday when Indiana committed an error in the third that allowed two runs to score but got on the board in the fourth on a Devin Taylor home run. In the top of the sixth, Joey McMannis made a throwing error that cost the Terps two runs, and two more scored for the Hoosiers on a Jake Stadler single. Down 5-2 going to the bottom of the sixth, Maryland scored three times on a Jacob Orr RBI single, an RBI walk by Brayden Martin, and lastly, Chris Hacopian was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Keister singled up the middle past a drawn-in infield to give Maryland their second walk-off win of the week. Joey McMannis made his best start as a Terp going five and two thirds allowing just one earned run.
Maryland baseball picks up its 13th comeback win of the season
Kevin Keister capitalizes on a bases loaded opportunity with the walk off hit, giving Maryland a 6-5 win vs. Indiana. #Terps close the week 2-2 pic.twitter.com/IncvFYugAh
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) April 7, 2024
Takeaways:
Unfamiliar Territory
For a team that has been the standard in Big Ten baseball for the last couple of seasons, the Terps were severely beaten down this weekend at home, by an Indiana team that came into the weekend with an RPI of 88. Their postseason resume gets weaker and weaker with each loss because the level of difficulty of the Terps’ non-conference schedule is not very high.
Poor Pitching
It was a week to forget for Jimmy Jackson and his pitching staff. Maryland allowed 12 to UMBC on Wednesday, 15 on Friday, and 14 on Saturday. It’s just about impossible to win baseball games when a team’s pitching staff gives up double digits every time. The Terps are just simply having trouble finding guys who can consistently command the zone and get outs.
Brilliant Berrier
Logan Berrier continues to dominate out of the bullpen for the Terps. On Sunday, he pitched the last three and a third innings, not allowing a hit and walking three. He also improved his record on the year to 7-0.
Up next:
Maryland will begin a ten-game road trip this week starting with two midweek games. On Tuesday the Terps will be at Georgetown before heading to UMBC on Wednesday. Next weekend, the Terps head to Evanston for a three-game series with Northwestern. Tuesday’s game can be seen on MuscoVision, while Wednesday’s game can be streamed on AmericaEast TV. All three games against the Wildcats will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. All Maryland Baseball games can be listened to for free on the Maryland Baseball Network.
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