Maryland baseball went through four pitchers on Friday night against Indiana, allowing 13 hits, 11 runs and five walks. The Terps started left-hander Evan Smith for his second Friday start of the season. Almost every game prior, Lance Wiliams had been the starter, but during the losing streak, the Terps decided to switch it up.
Smith pitched a solid five innings, recording three strikeouts and four runs. But in the sixth, he relinquished a home run and two walks. Maryland’s next three pitchers allowed
seven more runs combined, including two home runs.
“His numbers aren’t indicative of the way he’s played,” said head coach Matt Swope. “Just trying to find some momentum and find that spark where we can get off to a good start on the Fridays so we can try to win a series.”
Maryland ultimately fell to Indiana, 11-4, during Game one of the series on Friday at the Bob.
The Hoosiers kicked off Game 1 with catcher Hogan Denny knocking the first pitch out of the park. Smith recorded his first strikeout of the game shortly after — the outfield handled the rest to end the top of the first.
Indiana extended its lead in the top of the second after an RBI single with two outs by Cal Gates made its way past third baseman Colin Gibbs.
Denny launched a grounder to freshman shortstop Ty Kaunas in an attempt to keep the runs coming in. Kaunas missed a throw to first base wide right, but Paul Jones II stepped off the bag and laid the tag on Denny along the baseline to close out the inning.
Catcher Rylen Stockton kicked off the bottom of the second for Maryland with a 408-foot bomb over the center field wall on a full count. That was the only run the Terps would score for the game’s first six innings.
Bases loaded after Brayden Ricketts was hit by a pitch, Landen Fry walked and Cooper Malamazian singled between shortstop and third base. Smith escaped the jam by notching his second strikeout of the game.
Indiana’s Cole Decker sparked the top of the fourth with a home run over the left field wall to extend the Hoosiers lead.
The fifth inning was the second frame where neither team scored. With one runner on and one out, Fry grounded to Kaunas at shortstop. Kaunas fielded the ball, tagged second and threw it perfectly to Jones II at first to end the inning and record his 13th double play of the season.
“He’s an elite defender,” Swope said. “That play up the middle was a big league play, so good defender, he’s done a good job.”
That was the calm before the storm, though — Indiana extended its lead by six runs in the top of the sixth inning.
After the Hoosiers hit their third lead-off home run and Smith allowed two more runners onto base without getting an out, sophomore right-handed pitcher Cristofer Cespedes took the mound.
Will Moore scored on a wild pitch that was followed by Denny walking. Cespedes recorded his first strikeout of the game but soon after, Koskie slammed a three-run home run. Only two pitches later, Ricketts launched a home run — a shot that followed Koskie’s over the left field wall near the scoreboard.
Prior to Friday night, Indiana ranked 15th in the Big Ten for home runs. Ricketts’ home run marked the Hoosiers fifth home run of the game — the most in one game for Indiana.
Jones II wasted no time starting the bottom of the seventh with a first-pitch home run — his fourth of the season. The Terps continued their charge with an RBI single by Crosland to right center.
After making it a six-run game, Maryland failed to bring home any other runs for the remainder of the contest.
Indiana continued to extend its lead in the top of the ninth with a sacrifice bunt by pinch hitter TJ Schuyler to bring in its 10th run. After hitting two batters and allowing a run, Junior left-hander Landon Edwards took the mound in place of Gladden.
“I’ll live with the hits and all that, but it’s tough to have the three freebies in an inning after that home run,” Swope said.
Game two starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, with Logan Hastings making his first start of the season.
“We’re going to need a spark from him and almost carry us a little bit throughout the game at the beginning tomorrow,” Swope said.
Three things to know
1. Last in the Big Ten. Maryland holds the No. 17 spot in the conference — Indiana ranks No. 13. Prior to Friday night, the Terps ranked third in the Big Ten with 51 home runs, while Indiana ranked 15th with 28. However, it’s likely to move up after its five-homer game.
2. Bullpen was a bust. The Terps’ bullpen ran smoothly during their two midweek games, only allowing a total of two runs in two games. On Friday, they gave up 11 runs, the most since last Saturday against Ohio State.
3. Lack of offensive momentum. During the two midweek games, the Terps recorded 24 hits in two games. On Friday, Maryland notched just seven while leaving eight batters on base.
