Friday, February 21, 2020

Terps' Baseball Sweeps 3 Opening Games in South Carolina; Now Returns Home For 3-Game Series With Rhode Island

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 a neutral field on Saturday morning, the Terps beat back Iona, 8-2.  Then, on Sunday, Maryland staged a dramatic late rally to overcome a 2-0 ninth inning lead held by the home team, the College of Charleston.  The dogged Terps tied the score with a two-run uprising 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, Maryland's starting pitcher, Sean Fisher, threw five and one-third innings of two-hit baseball, even as his Terrapin mates were pushing across eleven runs on ten hits.  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 did take some time to get started.  When it did "get started," however, it really got started.  Maryland's offensive box score looked like this: 2 runs in the 6th, 5 in the 7th and, just for good measure, 4 more in the 9th inning.  

Tucker Flint had 3 hits for the Terps, while three other Maryland players had two hits apiece. 

On Saturday morning, playing the Iona Gaels, Maryland's offense was able to remain in high gear.  After falling behind Iona, 2-1, entering the third inning, Maryland exploded for 4 runs in their half of the fourth, and after that, they never looked back.  When all was said and done, Maryland had defeated Iona, 8-2.  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 Maryland would be tagged with its first loss of the season.  In fact, when Maryland came to bat in the top of the ninth, they behind the College of Charleston, 2-0.

Actually, Maryland had the southerners right where they wanted them.  The Terps' Chris Alleyne, who had five hits in the three weekend games, started Maryland's comeback with a lead off single.   Freshman Tucker Flint followed with a double, and Maryland then cut the home team's lead down to one run when Randy Bednar delivered a sacrifice fly.

Maryland then went to its bench, and the red shirt sophomore, Michael Pineiro, delivered in breath-taking fashion, laying down a clutch squeeze bunt that brought home the tying run.

The contest now moved into extra innings. And it was the visitors who came up big with the game on the line.  

Junior pitcher Mark Diluia, who had entered the game in the eighth inning, stayed on to throw a scoreless ninth.  In the top of the tenth inning the Terps jumped on the opportunity Diluia provided to them,  striking 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 into the contest at this juncture to pinch run for Shahidi.  In short order, both Gardiner and Chavis came around to score on a series of wild pitches.

Trevor Labonte pitched a scoreless and hitless bottom of the tenth inning, and it was Labonte who was credited with the clutch road victory.

Now officially off to a 3-0 start to the season, the Terps now return to the friendly confines of their College Park home field to host Rhode Island in a three game weekend series.  The games will start even as a February Cold Front approaches Maryland. 

Oh good! 

Game time for the Friday series opener is 6 pm.

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