BALTIMORE, Maryland May 31, 2014 - Maryland has been playing college baseball since the 19th Century, but through May 29, 2014 they had won a grand total of one NCAA Tournament Game, and that one win was 44 years ago. But now, In the space of two days at the end of May, 2014 the Terps have won more NCAA Tournament games than all of the other Maryland teams put together. Tonight in Colombia, South Carolina, in front of over 8,000 roaring South Carolina fans, the Terps beat the Number One Seed, 4-3, breaking the Gamecocks' 28 game home winning streak in the NCAA Tournament, a streak that dates all the way back to 2002. And Maryland did it by relying on their heretofore shaky bullpen, which rose up and held South Carolina scoreless over the final two and two-thirds innings of this thrilling Regional Showdown. Terp starter Mike Shawaryn left Maryland a one run lead when he departed after throwing 112 pitches over the first six and one-third innings.
Bobby Ruse relieved Shawaryn in the seventh inning with one out and two on and worked his way out of the jam without giving up a run. In the 8th inning, South Carolina put a man on second with one out, and Terp Coach John Szefc went again to the pen for Kevin Mooney, his closer. Mooney wiggled his way out of the 8th without giving up a run. But then in the ninth South Carolina put runners at the corners with one out. only to see Mooney induce their third baseman, Joey Pankake, to hit in to a double play to end the game. Blake Schmit's relay throw to Lamont Wade beat Pankake by a whisker, and the first base umpire gave an emphatic out call even as Pankake signaled safe. The heart-stopping win puts Maryland in the most preferred position in the regional tournament. They can now watch the Gamecocks play at 1 pm Sunday against Campbell, with the winner of that game playing Maryland at 7 pm in the 'first' regional championship. If Maryland can win that game they will be the NCAA regional champion, but even if they lose, there will be a rematch Monday at 7 pm, since the winner of the loser's bracket - which is what the winner of tomorrow's 1 pm game will be - must beat Maryland twice to win the regional.
Maryland scored all four of its runs in the first two innings, as they knocked Gamecock starter Jack Wynkoop out of the game after just one and two-thirds innings. In the bottom of the first inning, Charlie White led off with a booming double to the fence in left center. One out later he scored on a Brandon Lowe single to left. The Terps struck for three more runs in the second inning, with the entire uprising taking place after there were two outs and nobody on base. Kevin Martir got it started by sending a line drive single to left field, which the left fielder misplayed, allowing Martir to advance to second base. White then sent a hard ground ball into the hole between the first baseman and second baseman. Gamecock first sacker Kyle Martin dove to his right and speared the ball, but no one covered first and White reached, with Martir taking third. White was correctly credited with a hit since even if the pitcher covered first it is doubtful if they could have retired the speedy White. Lamont Wade followed with a line drive double down the first base line. Martir scored and White raced to third. The Terps now led, 2-0. Brandon Lowe followed by hitting a swinging bunt that trickled down the third base line. Pankake charged the ball and threw off-balance to first. The throw hit the dirt and bounced past Martin, allowing both White and Wade to score and putting Maryland ahead, 4-0.
Shawaryn made the four run lead stand up through the third inning, but South Carolina got on the board in the top of the fourth when D.J. Arendas hit a two-out RBI single. The Gamecocks struck for two more runs in the sixth inning, but they came within inches of pulling even when Martin's long drive to right hit a few inches below the top of the right field wall and bounced back into play. There were two Gamecocks on base when that happened, and had it gone for a home run - and South Carolina argued for such a call, although replays showed the umpire's call was clearly correct - the score would have been tied, 4-4. Instead, only one run scored on the play, and another run scored later in the inning. But Martin, who was at second with only one out, did not score. After Martin's double, which came with one out, Arendas hit a sacrifice fly to score the third South Carolina run, but Shawaryn struck out Connor Bright to end the inning.
The Terps nearly got one run back in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and Anthony Papio at second, Lamont Wade singled to left. But Papio was thrown out at home on a throw from left fielder Gene Cone. Shawaryn came out to start the seventh and got the first man out on a ground ball to Blake Schmit. But then the freshman hit South Carolina's number nine hitter, Tanner English, who then stole second. After that, he walked the Gamecock's leadoff hitter, Marcus Mooney, to put runners at first and second with one out. At this point Szefc went to the bullpen for Bobby Ruse. Ruse proceeded to get out of the inning when Max Scrock lined out to right fielder Papio, and Pankake grounded out to second baseman Lowe. Kyle Martin started the South Carolina 8th with a solid single, and he was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Grayson Greiner. Here, Szefc went to his closer, Mooney. Things started poorly for Mooney, as he hit the first batter he faced, Arendas. But he got out of the jame when the next hitter, Bright, hit into a fielder's choice and then Cone struck out to end the inning. Then came the ninth.
In other games Saturday - some of which were reported on in an earlier post - Nebraska eliminated Binghamton, 8-6; Kentucky scored three in the ninth to eliminate Kent State, 4-2; Xavier eliminated Clemson, 6-4; Youngstown State eliminated Indiana State, 5-2; powerful La. - Lafayette recovered from Friday's upset loss to eliminate San Diego State, 9-2; Bucknell eliminated Liberty, 5-2; Southeast Louisiana sent Bryant packing, 2-1; Sienna rallied to end Dallas Baptist's season, 9-8; Sacremento State ended it for Arizona State, 5-4; and UNLV ended North Dakota State's season, 2-1. The Oxford, Mississippi regional at the University of Mississippi was rained out on Friday, and so on Saturday the four teams assigned there played their first games. Mississippi crushed Jackson State in one game, 12-2; while Washington shut out Georgia Tech in the other game, 8-0.
Columbia, which last year won the first NCAA game in school history, battled its way back into the tournament this year, but was eliminated Saturday in a thrilling game with Bethune Cookman. The winners broke on top, 6-0, only to see the Lions claw their way back into the game. When the Lions came to bat in the bottom of the seventh, they were six runs down. But they put four runs on the board in the seventh, and added a run int he bottom of the ninth, before their comeback ended one run short. The Lions' Gus Craig's two out single in the bottom of the ninth scored pinch runner Logan Boyner to pull Columbia within one run. Shane Adams entered the game as a pinch runner for Craig, and he was off to the races when Robb Paller sent a smoking line drive to center field. But Bethune Cookman's centerfielder Eros Modena made a very good catch to end the game and keep Bethune Cookman's hopes alive.
In winner's bracket games later Saturday, Louisville beat Kansas, 6-3; Virginia whacked Arkansas, 3-0; Vanderbilt beat back Oregon, 7-2; LSU downed Houston, 5-1; Mississippi State downed Jackson State, 3-1; Pepperdine beat Cal-Poly, 2-1; The College of Charleston beat Long Beach State, 6-3; and Texas Tech defeated Miami, 3-0. Other games were still being played as this was posted at about midnight
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