Maryland Defeats Bryant, 7-1, behind Brian Shaffer''s Solid 7 Innings

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Friday, March 10, 2017 - The box score said it all.  Each game, a word or two gets inserted into the official stats of the game describing the weather.  A typical insert for baseball is "sunny, warm" or "overcast".  On Friday, the insert said, simply, "cold."  The announced, or should we say "acknowledged" crowd of 195 cold-hardy fans would agree, I suppose.

Cold weather often deadens the offense in baseball.  That truism held sway Friday afternoon in College Park.  When Maryland came to bat in the bottom of the sixth, they trailed their Rhode Island guests, 1-0.  Fortunately for the Terps, that was about to change, albeit a little at a time.  First, it has to be noted that Maryland starting pitcher Brian Shaffer was doing all he could to keep Maryland in the game.  In seven solid innings, he scattered 5 hits and allowed only one (earned) run, while striking out 8.  The whole outing required a mere 98 pitches.

Shaffer's offensive teammates finally joined the fray, as we said, in the sixth inning.  It wouldn't pay to dwell on the Maryland 4th inning, when Bryant starter Steve Theetge walked the bases loaded before wiggling out of the mess.   He wasn't so lucky in the 6th, when Maryland knocked him out of the game.  Marty Costes led off with a single, followed by a walk to Brandon Gum.  Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Terp Catcher Nick Cieri. This ended Theetge's day, although when he left he still had the lead.  It didn't last.  The next Terp hitter, Will Watson, greeted Bryant's new hurler, Jack Ipsen, with a single to left field to tie the game.  Costes scored on the hit, with Gum stopping at third.  Madisen Nickens whacked a sacrifice fly to center field to put Maryland ahead, as it turned out, for good.

Maryland added three insurance runs in the seventh inning, and Watson, once again, had the big hit, a two-run single.  The Terps then scored two more in the eighth inning, with Costes and Zach Jancarski knocking the runs home with RBI singles.

Shaffer got the win  to improve to 1-1.  Andrew Miller pitched the 8th and 9th innings for the Terps, striking out 5, but being denied a save because of Maryland's sizable lead. Maryland is now 7-5 while Bryant slipped to 3-8.

The two teams continue their series on Saturday afternoon, game time being set at 2 pm.   Balmy temperatures are expected in the mid thirties.  Fans are not allowed to build bonfires in the bleachers.