BALTIMORE, Maryland May 11, 2013 - They waited and they waited. From a scheduled 3 pm start, the starting time was pushed back, and then pushed back again. Finally an announcement came that the game would start on Saturday Night at 9 pm. The Terps were ready. Just as important: Mike Shawaryn was ready. To be sure, he wasn't "razor sharp." He flung up some 120 pitches over six and one-third innings. But amongst those pitches, there were only three that the Pitt batters produced hits with. He allowed but one run. The bullpen behind him was also tremendous. When it was over, Maryland had won, 5-1, improving to exactly .500 in ACC play (14-14). Just as important, they have provided themselves with the opportunity to clinch a berth in the ACC Tournament if they can win today. Win or lose, today's game is the last ACC Conference Game the Maryland Baseball Team will ever play.
Pitt jumped out to a 1-0 lead in this one, just as they had the day before, when Maryland won, 21-1. Nobody expected a replay from two teams that started the season separated by mere percentage points in ACC play (although they play in different divisions within the conference). Stephen Vranka and Boo Vazquez each singled and Casey Roche walked to load the bases with nobody out, and just like that things looked very grim for the Terps. But Shawaryn went to work. He got Steven Shelinsky, Jr., to foul out for out number one. Eric Hess, however, singled to left and Pitt was on the board and leading, 1-0. Dylan Wolsonovich was next, and the freshman Shawaryn coaxed Wolsonovich to hit into a double play to end the inning. The Terps stormed right back to tie it in the top of the second. Blake Schmit led off with a single, stole second and when the throw to second went into centerfield, he hopped up and raced to third. For there, he cruised home on Nick Cieri's single. Maryland had a chance to grab the lead in the inning, but Anthony Papio was thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice, and the Terps left the bases loaded.
Nobody scored again until Maryland came up in the fifth. In the fifth inning, Maryland sprinted from a tie to a three run lead. They didn't know it at the time, but they had won the game with this rally. Kevin Martir singled and Charlie White laid down a beautiful bunt single. After Lamont Wade struck out, Brandon Loew, Maryland's hottest hitter of late, sent a long drive into the right-center field power alley. Both Martir and White scored and Loew cruised into third with a triple. Loew was able to score from there when Jose Cuas followed the triple with a sacrifice fly to the center fielder. The Terps added a run in the sixth. Cieri led off the inning with a double. Maryland Coach John Szefc replaced Cieri with a pinch runner, the fleet Andrew Amaro. It was a good move. The fast moving Amaro raced to third when Martir hit a little knubber that Pitt Starting Pitcher Joseph Harvey had to come off the mound to field. Now with one out, Charlie White was hit by a Harvey pitch, and he promptly stole second. Harvey then walked Lamont Wade to load the bases. That brought up Loew, who sent a fly ball deep enought into left field to score Amaro and give Maryland a 5-1 lead that ended up being the final score.
When Shawaryn allowed a Pitt runner to get to third base with two out in the seventh inning, Szefc went to Brewster, and the big southpaw induced Vazquez to ground out to Schmit at shortstop. Szefc then called on a rested Bobby Ruse to pitch the final two innings, which he did, perfectly, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks, and throwing only 18 pitches during those two innings.
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