For weeks, Maryland baseball head coach Matt Swope chalked up messy conference losses to struggles on the pitching staff.
“I think the pitching injuries alone cost us at least five wins,” he said after the Terps used seven pitchers against Georgetown Tuesday.
However, it was starting pitcher Cristofer Cespedes who turned the tide in Maryland’s second game of the series against Penn State. The sophomore struck out every Nittany Lion in the batting order at least once, logging 12 punch outs by the end
of his time on the bump.
In a striking turn of events, Cespedes’ success on the mound accompanied a hit fest from the Terps, leading Maryland to run-rule revenge against Penn State in a 12-2 victory.
On a cool evening in College Park, the Terps’ bats set ablaze. As a whole, Maryland only batted .276 Thursday night. In just 24 hours, that number jumped to .387. Seven of nine players in the lineup banked RBIs, and four balls cleared the fences.
The Terps’ offensive spectacular didn’t start out in their favor, though. They again conceded the first run of the day, as Nittany Lion Spencer Barnett smacked a solo home run to right-center field in the top of the second.
David Mendez responded with his 11th home run in the bottom of the inning, evening the score.
With only one out to spare, the Terps began to brew on offense. Paul Jones II took a payoff-pitch walk, and Ty Kaunas hit a single up the middle. Nate Hawton-Henley then wore a pitch to load the bases.
Maryland eventually earned a run — but at a huge sacrifice. Left fielder Jordan Crosland took a 78 mph pitch to the head and fell to his knees. He eventually walked unassisted to the dugout after talking with Swope and staff, swapping out for Aden Hill.
Brayden Martin gave the Terps some insurance, knocking a two-run single through left field and securing Maryland’s first lead of the series.
Devin Russell launched the Terps’ second bomb of the day 415 feet down the middle for a two-run home run, bringing Hawton-Henley around the horn.
Despite a potent offense, the star of Maryland’s night was undoubtedly Cespedes. In his first four innings on the mound, the sophomore threw 49 strikes in 66 pitches, dealing eight strikeouts. He closed out the top of the fourth without a hit, striking out the side in 12 pitches.
Penn State wasn’t completely hopeless against Cespedes, though. With two outs down in the top of the fifth, Nittany Lion Preston Yaucher sent another solo shot over the center-field wall.
Bud Coombs heard the call and posted a response, knocking a dinger to right-center to return Maryland’s lead to five runs. The freshmen continued the frenzy, as Hawton-Henley banked an RBI single for his second hit of the day.
Maryland’s accurate hitting performance continued. After the defense shut down the top of the sixth with a double play, Martin and Costello got themselves on base. Mendez sent both home with a two-run triple down the right-field line.
Paul Jones II put the Terps in prime position to push Penn State back into the run-rule effect, touching home plate on a fielder’s choice play to secure a nine-run lead.
Brayden Ryan relieved Cespedes in the top of the seventh but didn’t have the same strikeout success. His first two batters reached base on a single and a walk. Maryland’s defense did the heavy lifting, combining Ryan’s sole strikeout with a line out and a ground out to shut down the inning without a run.
For the third time this season, Devin Russell put the game away. The senior catcher sealed the deal with his second home run of the day, a bomb over the center field wall.
Three things to know:
1. Coombs is raking. Bud Coombs has logged five home runs across the last seven games. He is responsible for a whopping 36 RBIs over that stretch.
2. Big night on the mound. Cespedes’ starting ERA dropped to 1.42 after Friday’s game. His total ERA is now the second-best unqualified on the team at 4.34.
3. Finishing the job. The Terps’ season finale Saturday will mark their sixth rubber match all year. Maryland is 3-2 overall in rubber matches this season and 1-1 in rubber matches at home.
