Maryland baseball fans were treated to a storyline that felt eerily familiar in the second game of the Terps’ weekend series against Michigan.
Only six days before, Michigan State paced Maryland in a nine-run inning. That forced the Terps into a run-rule loss in only seven innings.
Against the Wolverines, the Terps allowed a similar frame in the bottom of the second, as they gave up nine runs on 10 hits, including a three-run home run.
After giving up that monster inning, history did, in fact, repeat
itself. A flurry of pitching troubles contributed to Maryland’s 17-5 run-rule loss, clinching defeat in the series.
The Wolverines banked the first hit of the day off a 1-2 count in the top of the first. Wolverine Colby Turner singled through the right field, eventually reaching third on the back of a costly catching error. Maryland backstop Devin Russell threw to second to tag Turner, but his throw was too far right for second baseman David Mendez to catch it.
Turner was sent home on an RBI single, and though that was the end of the scoring for the first inning, it ignited a flame under the Wolverines’ lineup.
In the second inning, Michigan’s Dane Morrow doubled to left field with only one out recorded, and he came home following an RBI single from Drew Culbertson.
Turner recorded another hit, this time an RBI double. Just two pitches later, his teammate Joonsung Park posted an RBI single to right.
To top it all off, Michigan’s Brayden Jefferis blasted a three-run home run over the right field fence, plummeting Maryland into a 7-run hole with only one out on the board.
After pinch hitter Mathew Ossenfort brought in the team’s eighth run, Maryland starting pitcher Brayden Ryan left the mound with his head hung low. He allowed 10 hits and eight runs while only recording two strikeouts and four total outs.
James Gladden made his 11th relief appearance with runners on first and second, finally logging a strikeout for the second out of the inning. However, the redshirt junior took the lead for most wild pitches by a Terp after tossing three in just four batters, gifting Michigan two more runs.
Michigan wasn’t immune to errors, though. In the bottom of the third, starting pitcher Shane Brinham tossed the ball to first base while Paul Jones II was there. His casual toss flew at least five feet over the first baseman’s head, and he squatted and watched as Jones advanced to second.
Nate Hawton-Henley gave the Terps some hope when he successfully bunted Jones II to third base.
However, both Hawton-Henley and Jones II left the diamond without collecting runs, as a deep foul out and a ground out left the Terps scoreless once again.
Maryland fell deeper into the deficit in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second and two outs gone, Turner hit a bomb to deep center field, beating Hawton-Henley to the wall for another three-run home run.
But finally, the Terps found a response, Jones II posted Maryland’s first RBI of the day, knocking a single to right field allowing designated hitter Ryan Costello to hit home plate.
Michigan’s starting pitcher began to falter. After four straight innings with only one walk, Brinham posted four in the fourth. Two of those walks came with the bases loaded, helping Maryland ease into the game.
Brayden Martin grounded a ball towards Michigan’s shortstop, but a catching error allowed him to reach first, as Hawton-Henley came home to fish the Terps out of run-rule territory.
Jake Yeager took over the mound after Gladden’s wild-pitch catastrophe but only posted one strikeout through 13 batters, allowing one hit and issuing three walks in his two and a third inning tenure.
Hawton-Henley banked his second base hit of the day in the bottom of the sixth with no outs on the board. He and Martin combined again, this time on a fielder’s choice play that resulted in another run for the Terps.
After throwing 10 balls in just 17 pitches, third reliever Landon Edwards left the mound, ending his seventh relief appearance of the year. After walking a quarter of the batters he saw, pitching coach Jimmy Jackson swapped him out for redshirt freshman Quin Yellin.
Yellin inherited runners on first and second, and on a 3-1 count, the first batter he faced knocked an RBI single to left field for Michigan’s first run in three innings.
Turner singlehandedly pushed the Terps back into run-rule danger just an out away from the seventh inning stretch. The Michigan second baseman replicated his teammate’s blast from the second for another three-run knock.
A 1-2-3 bottom of the inning shut down Maryland’s 23rd conference game.
Maryland head coach Matt Swope said that he didn’t have much of a message for the players as they trailed further and further behind the Wolverines.
“It’s not an effort thing for the guys, it’s not a focus thing, it’s not a preparation thing,” Swope said. “It’s just the actual, like, you’ve got to do better.”
As tournament hopes may begin to wither, Swope ensured that he and the Terps intend to push as far as possible, until they’re out of the tournament for good.
“I will never give up,” he said. “I’m going to go through it until someone tells me we can’t go anymore.”
Three things to know
1. Walks everywhere. The Terps have both drawn (287) and issued (244) the most walks in the Big Ten.
2. Freshman hit fest. True freshmen were responsible for four of the five hits that Maryland banked. Virginia native Hawton-Henley was the only player to bat 1.000, logging two hits and a walk in three plate appearances.
3. Saturday blues. Maryland hasn’t won on a Saturday since April 11 against Indiana. The Terps are 5-9 on Saturday games with just two left on their schedule.
