Maryland baseball kicked off Tuesday’s midweek contest against Mount St. Mary’s with a seven-run first inning, ignited by the hands of Jordan Crosland. The redshirt sophomore launched the first pitch of the game 411 feet over the left center wall for a solo home run.
Then, with two outs and bases loaded, freshman Bud Coombs emptied the bases with a double that almost cleared the left field wall. After Nate Hawton-Henley walked the line, freshman Franklin Pichardo Jr. slammed a 407-foot three-run home
run to left field, giving the Terps a 7-0 lead with eight innings left to play.
This early lead contributed to the Terps’ 19-8 blowout over the Mountaineers on Tuesday — their fifth consecutive midweek victory.
“I thought that start was probably the biggest thing,” head coach Matt Swope said.
The Terps gave up a run in the bottom of the first after an overthrow by catcher Pichardo Jr. in an attempt to catch right fielder Alex Mendes from stealing. The throw went over the heads of second and shortstop, reaching Hawton-Henley at center field. Mendes’ feet never stopped, as he scored from first to put the Mountaineers on the board.
Center fielder Christian Bauman also nearly notched a two-run home run to center field, but Coombs snagged it on the edge of the warning track.
“He’s an athletic freak, he puts that on display all the time,” Swope said. “It’s been good to have him back out there as a dynamic player.”
The Terps extended their lead in the top of the third after RBI singles by Crosland and Brayden Martin.
The Mountaineers snagged another run in the bottom of the third after Joey Agar was stuck in a throwdown between third and home. He ultimately scored after the Terps realized Mendes — who was stuck between second and third — was the easier out.
Neither team was able to score in the fourth inning, meaning the Terps’ advantage remained seven runs headed into the fifth inning. They had hopes of enacting the run-rule for a second straight game.
Hawton-Henley opened the inning with a single to right field and eventually stole second — his fourth stolen base of the season. After two walks, the bases were loaded, and Maryland’s home run leader Ryan Costello stepped into the box.
On the 1-1 pitch, Costello hammered his third grand slam of the season and first home run since April 4.
The Terps just had to keep the Mountaineers scoreless for the remaining two innings — but it wasn’t that easy.
Maryland’s midweek starter, Nic Morlang, walked two batters in the bottom of the fifth as the bases were loaded after a bunt by Mendes. Sophomore Ryan Bailey took the mound in Morlang.
Bauman singled past Jones II at first base into right field, bringing in two runs for Mount St. Mary’s. Bailey then recorded his first strikeout and the first out of the inning. But another run was brought in after another overthrow by Pichardo Jr.
A sacrifice fly and single racked up two more runs, reducing Maryland’s lead from 11 to six.
Jake Yeager took the mound for Bailey in the sixth, where he sanctioned a walk and single before the defense notched a double play and putout to end the inning.
The Terps came back in the seventh, forcing the Mountaineers’ seventh and eighth pitchers out of the contest. Sophomore Paul Jones II scored on a wild pitch after Mendez blasted an RBI single with two outs. Coombs notched his fourth RBI of the game up the middle before the inning ended with a strikeout.
“We obviously got a little sloppy in the middle innings,” Swope said. “But we were able to lean on them [the offense].”
Maryland was able to hold Mount St. Mary’s in the bottom of the seventh after catching two in the air and Pichardo Jr. throwing out Evan Meier at third base in a steal attempt.
Costello logged his fifth RBI of the contest in the top of the eighth to give Maryland back a 10-run lead. Junior Andrew Koshy stepped to the mound looking to close out the game in the eighth inning.
But Maryland once again failed after a single and two walks with one out led to an RBI by Mendes. The Terps closed out the inning with a double play by Mendez — his 24th of the season.
Jones II pounded his fifth home run of the season to open the ninth inning on the 0-1 pitch. Crosland brought in Maryland’s 19th run of the game during his sixth at bat with an RBI double to left field before the inning ended.
Cristofer Cespedes pitched three straight strikeouts — all swinging — to close out the midweek victory in the bottom of the ninth.
Three things to know
1. Costello and Crosland crushed it. The junior and redshirt freshman lead the Terps in home runs with Costello notching 14 and Crosland recording 9. Crosland’s home run on the first pitch of the match set the tone for Maryland while Costello’s third grand slam put the Terps farther ahead of the Mountaineers.
2. Another marathon of walks. Mount St. Mary’s went through 11 pitchers who walked 13 batters on Tuesday, the most the Terps have walked since February 28. Maryland’s 16-5 victory over Iowa on Sunday and 15-7 victory over Towson a week ago were both the results of a surplus of walks. Prior to Tuesday, Maryland ranked first in the Big Ten and third in the nation in walks with 249.
3. Bullpen blowout. The Terps went through five pitchers on Tuesday, pitching six strikeouts, walking seven batters and allowing nine hits. Crosland’s five putouts in left field, along with Mendez’s five assists and three putouts, helped keep the Mountaineers at bay after Maryland’s bullpen struggled to stay afloat.
