Maryland baseball came off its biggest and most important win of the season last weekend — a rubber-match walk-off win against Indiana, opening the door for the Terps to turn their season around in conference play.
A massive midweek win against local rival Towson could have propelled Maryland to another chance at conference victory.
However, the Terps reverted to a pattern of conference defeat in back-to-back weekend losses against the Iowa Hawkeyes, costing them their fifth conference series of the year.
Game 1: Iowa wins, 14-4
The Terps loaded the bases quickly in the top of the first inning after Iowa pitcher Tyler Guerin walked Kaunas and hit both Paul Jones II and Rylen Stockton. David Mendez used it to his advantage, opening the scoring with a two-run RBI single.
Maryland’s first inning spark didn’t last long as the Terps’ batting staff couldn’t bank another hit in the top of the third inning. The Hawkeyes, however, were much more successful.
Kooper Scheulte reached first on a fielder’s choice, opening the door for a 394-foot, two-run right field-bound blast from Iowa’s Gable Mitchell to tie the game.
Both Miles Risley and Caleb Wulf poked singles through the left side to board the bases before they emptied yet again. This time, it was at the hands of Iowa’s Carter Geffre, who knocked a bomb 414 feet deep for a three-run home run. Joey Narat joined in on the hit-fest, tacking on another RBI to make it a six-run third inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, Nate Hawton-Henley hit a bomb to left field for his second home run of the season, closing Maryland’s deficit to two runs.
Redshirt sophomore Evan Smith matched his season record and left the mound after pitching five straight innings. The redshirt sophomore walked only three and struck out four of the 26 batters he faced. However, after seven allowed hits and six earned runs, Smith’s ERA jumped to 8.45 for the season.
At 3:04 P.M.,Terps and Hawkeyes jogged back to the dugout after lightning was spotted about eight miles away. Weather concerns in the area postponed the game to Saturday,
Ryan Bailey took over on the mound on Saturday, immediately working himself out of a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Alivo extended Iowa’s lead to three with an RBI blast down the right-field line, bringing Kellen Strohmeyer around the horn.
On his next and final batter, Bailey attempted to catch a line drive on a 2-1 count, but missed. Quickly, the sophomore attempted to throw to first for the first out, but a throwing error on his part turned a force out into a base hit, opening the door for Alivo to score from second base.
James Gladden was the first bullpen call Saturday but had little success. The redshirt junior released two wild pitches, one of which allowed Nerat to come home to solidify a five-run lead.
Peyton Mamula took the mound next for only the second appearance of his college career. Wulf knocked a single to left field on his first pitch of the day. Six pitches later, he allowed a three-RBI triple to pass him, putting the Terps one run away from a dreaded run-rule ending.
Like clockwork, Iowa’s Jaixen Frost knocked an RBI single to left field, allowing Nerat to come home and end game one.
Game 2: Iowa wins, 5-2
The Hawkeyes earned several bases in the bottom of the first after a walk, a hit by pitch and a lineout — allowing players to advance with an out to go. Pitcher Logan Hastings got out of the jam, though, pitching his first of four strikeouts to end the inning.
The Hawkeyes got on the board first once again. In the bottom of the second inning, Iowa’s Brett White singled to shallow right field for an RBI as Nerat came around the diamond. White attempted to steal second base, but the umpires agreed that Mendez beat him to the bag to end the inning.
Maryland soon faced the same fate, as freshman Bud Coombs got caught stealing second to close the top of the third without a breakthrough.
After a runless fourth inning, a fielder’s choice play allowed another Iowa run to come around in the bottom of the fifth. On the next at bat, a single to shallow right field from Geffre brought in two more runners, giving the Hawkeyes a four-run lead.
Bud Coombs blasted a solo shot to left field for his third home run of the season, finally putting the Terps on the board in the top of the sixth inning, before Iowa punched back with an RBI double.
Maryland shortstop Ty Kaunas hit a bomb on his first pitch in the top of the ninth, sending the ball 386 feet over the right field fence, giving the Terps an inkling of hope now three runs behind.
But a swinging strikeout, a fly out and a ground out at second base closed the game and cost Maryland the conference weekend series.
Three things to know
1. Walk it out. Maryland has walked the most batters in the Big Ten (213), including Saturday’s games. The Terps average about five walks per game, just as they logged in Game 2 against the Hawkeyes.
2. Cespedes back on the mound. Cespedes made his way back to the mound for the first time since last week’s one-inning performance against Indiana. The sophomore right-hander logged four strikeouts in three full innings, only allowing two hits and one earned run.
3. Freshman frenzy. Three true freshmen — Hawton-Henley, Coombs and Kaunas — have logged Maryland’s only home runs of the series so far. They are three of Maryland’s five true freshman batters.
