Maryland baseball has fallen victim to the mercy rule four times so far this season.
Four different times, the Terps left the dugout early after a 10-run deficit in at least seven innings ended the game.
Against UMBC though, Maryland flipped the script, posting a dominating run game to shut out the Retrievers, 11-0, and end the game in seven innings.
Maryland’s David Mendez posted an RBI single to open Maryland’s scoring in the top of the second inning. Jordan Crosland joined the fun; smacking a three-run
home run over the fence to put the Terps up by four.
One inning later, Rylen Stockton took his turn to blast a two-run homer, his sixth fence-clearer of the year. In the same inning, Brayden Martin walked with the bases loaded, bringing around yet another run for the Terps.
Maryland’s field staff stopped UMBC from any offensive production. In the bottom of the third inning, center fielder Aden Hill launched himself into the air to snag a fly out from clearing the fence.
After the Terps’ regular third baseman Jackson Sirois was substituted in the third inning for a pinch hitter, Colin Gibbs entered the game. Two quiet innings passed before he stepped up to the plate for his ninth appearance of the season. On the first pitch he was dealt, the redshirt freshman lined a single to center field, logging Maryland’s eighth run with his first RBI in nearly a month.
In the bottom of the sixth, UMBC’s Luke Buscaglia started a trek around the diamond with two outs logged, stealing second base and advancing to third on a wild pitch. On a 2-2 count, his teammate Danny Wyatt hit a line drive right toward Maryland shortstop Ty Kaunas, who caught the ball to leave Buscaglia stranded.
Nic Morlang, the Terps’ starting pitcher, held down the mound for a career-high six innings in his best performance yet. The freshman’s record rose to 3-3 after only allowing five hits during his tenure.
The Terps sealed the game in the top of the seventh inning. A two-run double from Ryan Costello and RBI double from Kaunas lifted the Terps to 10 runs and activated the run rule.
To add to the onslaught, Gibbs logged yet another RBI, reaching base on a fielder’s choice play to bring Costello in to score once again.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ryan Bailey took over for Morlang on the bump with runners on first and second with no outs. The bases loaded shortly after, as Bailey released a wild pitch that advanced everyone.
The sophomore shut down the game, though, pitching two strikeouts around a fly-out to right field, ending the game early in Maryland’s favor.
Three things to know
1. Record-tying performance. Martin has reached first base in every game so far this season, tying the program record of 32. The junior utility also moved to third all time in program history with 119 career walks.
2. Pulled from the bottom of the board. Though their conference record is 2-10, the Terps rank amongst the Big Ten’s top 12 in away game wins with six.
3. One for the history books. Including Tuesday’s game, Maryland has shut out UMBC four different times over their 26-year head-to-head history.
