BALTIMORE, Maryland May 9, 2014 - It was the kind of unexpected game that might cause a bleacher bum to mumble, "couldn't they save some of these runs for tomorrow?" In fact, if the truth be known, they probably scored enough runs for the whole weekend. Enough? Try 21 in all. Enough? They scored more runs in the third inning - nine - than they have scored in any inning since a 2008 game against the Flying Dutchmen of Hofstra. In a crucial game that opens a crucial series, a Maryland team that has already won more ACC games this season than has any Maryland team in the last 44 years, exploded for an astonishing 21 runs, while its "Friday Night" pitcher, Senior Jake Stinnett, scattered six harmless hits over six innings as the Terrapins won, 21-1. The win pulled the Terps within one game of the .500 mark in the ACC. It also pushed them ahead of Wake Forest and into third place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC. If the Terps can win the remaining two games of the series, they will clinch a berth in the ten team, six day ACC Tournament beginning May 20 in North Carolina. But even if they win one of the remaining two games they will be in good shape to qualify for the conference tournament.
Hard as it is to fathom, Pitt led this game, 1-0, after two innings. The run scored on a wild pitch. Panther shortstop Dylan Wolsonovich singled to centerfield with one out, scampered to third base when Eric Hess also singled, and scored when Stinnett uncorked a wild pitch. Even after that happened the Panthers still had two men on base with only one out, but Stinnett, being Stinnett, proceded to strike out Caleb Perry and Manny Pazos in succession and that was the end of that, not just for the inning, but for the remainder of the game. The Panthers never scored again. Stinnett, however, had only four strikeouts on the night. He entered the game as the ACC leader in that department. Pitt had no time to enjoy the lead. When Maryland came to bat in third inning, the night might just as well have ended for the Panthers. Australian Rhys Aldenhoven was on the mound for Pitt when the carnage started. Aldenhoven started the inning impressively, striking out leadoff hitter Charlie White on three pitches. Lamont Wade then doubled, but Aldenhoven came right back and struck out red hot Brandon Loew. Two outs, one on, no problem! But really, big problems. The next Terp hitter, Jose Cuas, plated the first Maryland run with a double smacked into right field. Blake Schmit followed and drew a walk, and then Tim Lewis singled, scoring Cuas and sending Schmit to third. On a throw from the outfield, Lewis was able to get into second base. Anthony Papio then hit the Terps' third double of the inning, scoring both Schmit and Lewis. If you are counting, that is runs three and four, so you know we're not halfway there yet in this third inning. With Papio aat second, Nick Cieri hit a ground ball that should have ended the inning, but Panther second baseman Matt Johnson, a junior, booted it. Papio alertly came all the way around to score on the error, making it five runs in for the inning. Aldenhoven is still out there, and he goes ahead and hits Kevin Martir, the next Maryland hitter, with Cieri stopping, as required, at second base. Charlie White stepped into the box at this juncture; you will recall that he also led off the inning, by striking out. It's been a while, so I thought I would remind you. Given this second chance, White promptly singled to right, scoring Cieri, with Martir stopping at second. The run Cieri scored is number six. Ten batters in to the inning, Panther Coach Joe Jordano had finally seen enough. Exit Aldenhoven, enter Andrew Belfiglio, a 6'2", 175 lb. sophmore, who also is a southpaw. For all the good it did him on this night. Lamont Wade was the first hitter to face Belfiglio, and Belfiglio induced Wade to hit another grounder to Johnson. On this nightmare of a night for the Panther, Johnson booted it again. That loaded the bases. Brandon Loew came up again and was hit by a Belfiglio pitch. He got credit for an RBI as Martir scored. Seven runs had now scored in the inning. On it went. Jose Cuas is next. He whacks a very solid single. Wade scored, White scored and Cuas got credit for two more runs batted in. Nine runs had scored. This is how the inning finally ended: Cuas, who singled, was at first and Loew, who was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on Cuas' single, was still on third. Blake Schmit was up. Cuas took off. When Pazos, the Panther catcher, threw through to second, Loew took off. Johnson took the throw and threw home to Pazos, who tagged Loew. On this night, it was good that this happened because when Schmit did get to bat, the next inning, he doubled. Maryland could still be batting in the third inning. Has anybody ever read the Iowa Baseball Confederacy? Just asking.
Maryland wasn't done. In fact, eleven more runs would score before it ended. One can only hope the Terp hitters' arms are fresh again by this afternoon, when Game 2 in the series is played. Ten Maryland players had hits. Jose Cuas had four hits in six at bats. He knocked in five runs. Papio had four runs batted in. Martir and Cieri knocked in three apiece. And so on.
There are these other ACC scores: Notre Dame stunned Clemson, 2-1. North Carolina State whacked Wake Forest, 9-1. Florida State humbled North Carolina, 7-0. Virginia rallied past Georgia Tech, 4-3, giving their coach, Brian O'Connor, his 500th win as a coach. And Miami beat Duke, 6-1.
The win enabled Maryland to move .001 pct. points ahead of Wake Forest into third place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC. What is more important at this time of year is the win percentages for the entire ACC, since it is the top ten teams that are awarded berths in the ACC Tournament. For Maryland, so much depends on what they do in the next two games. If only they could have bank-rolled some of those 21 runs. Here are the Tournament-Relevant Standings up-to-the-minute:
ACC Tournament Qualification
Two Divisional Champs and Eight Other Teams With Best ACC Winning Pct qualify
1. Miami: 20 wins, 5 losses, .800 pct [5]
2. Virginia: 19 wins, 6 losses, .760 pct [5]
3. Florida State: 18 wins, 7 losses, .740 [5]
4. Duke: 15 wins, 10 losses, .600 pct [5]
5. North Carolina: 13 wins, 12 losses, .520 pct [5]
6. Clemson: 12 wins, 12 losses, .500 pct [5]
7. Georgia Tech: 14 wins, 14 losses, .500 pct [2]
8. Maryland: 13 wins, 14 losses, .481 pct [2]
9. Wake Forest: 12 wins, 13 losses, .480 pct [5]
10. Pittsburgh: 11 wins, 14 losses, .440 pct [5]
11. North Carolina State: 10 wins, 15 losses, .400 pct [5]
12. Boston College: 9 wins, 18 losses, .333 pct [3]
13. Virginia Tech: 8 wins, 19 losses, .296 pct [3]
14. Notre Dame: 5 wins, 20 losses, .200 pct [5]
Legend: Teams in Italics would not qualify for ACC Tournament if Season ended today; number in [] is number of conference games remaining
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