TOWSON, Maryland Tuesday, February 18, 2020 - The Maryland Baseball Team opened its season by winning all three games during a weekend trip to Charleston, South Carolina.
Maryland crushed Charleston Southern on Friday night, 11-2. On Saturday morning, the Terps beat back Iona, 8-2, on a neutral field in South Carolina. Then, on Sunday, Maryland staged a dramatic late rally to overcome a 2-0 ninth inning lead by the home team, the College of Charleston. Maryland tied the score in the
ninth, then won the game in the tenth with two more runs. The final score was Maryland 4, College of Charleston 2.
In the Friday evening opener, Sean Fisher threw five and one-third innings of two-hit, two run baseball while his Terrapin mates were scoring eleven runs on ten hits in the impressive opening win. Four different Terps drove in two runs apiece: Chris Alleyne, Troy Schreffler, Randy Bednar and Tommy Gardiner. Sam Bello relieved Fisher in the sixth inning and ended up throwing three and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief.
The Maryland offense took some time to get started, before striking for two runs in the sixth, five in the seventh and three more in the ninth inning. Tucker Flint had three hits for the Terps, while three other Maryland players had two hits apiece.
On Saturday morning, Maryland's offense remained in high gear. Trailing the Gaels, 2-1. entering the third inning, the Terps plated four runs and never looked back en route to an 8-2 victory. Freshman Nick Dean started and pitched into the fifth inning, giving up six hits but only two earned runs. Dean was followed by Ryan Ramsey, who gave up only one hit and no runs in two and one-third innings of relief. In doing so, the Montvale, New Jersey freshman picked up his first career win. Ramsey was relieved by sophomore Sean Heine, who spun two shut out innings, but was not credited with a save since Maryland had pushed ahead by an 8-2 score by the time Heine entered the game.
On Sunday, the Terps were matched up against the home team, the College of Charleston, and for the longest time it looked like it would be the Terps' first loss. When Maryland came to bat in the top of the ninth, they trailed, 2-0.
Chris Alleyne, who had five hits in the three weekend games, started Maryland's comeback in the ninth with a leadoff single. Freshman Tucker Flint followed with a double, and the Terps then cut the Charleston Southern lead to one when Randy Bednar delivered a sacrifice fly.
The Redshirt sophomore, Michael Pineiro then put down a squeeze bunt to bring home the tying run. Maryland continued to come up big as the game moved into extra innings. Junior Mark Diluia, who had entered the game in the eighth, stayed on to throw a scoreless ninth. In the top of the tenth the Terps struck for two more runs.
Junior Tommy Gardiner started the Maryland rally with a one out single. Pinch hitter Tavan Shahidi pushed Gardiner to second by drawing a walk. Austin Chavis came on to pinch run for Shahidi. In short order, both Gardiner and Chavis came around to score on a series of wild pitches.
Diluia was credited with the win and
Trevor Labonte, who pitched a scoreless and hit-less tenth inning, picked up his first save.
Maryland now returns home to host Rhode Island in a three game weekend set. The series will start Friday evening in College Park even as a Winter Cold Front zeroes in on the Maryland Campus.
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