9-run second inning sinks Maryland baseball in 17-5 loss to Michigan

Photo by Mason Fullerton/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

In Maryland baseball’s prior series, a nine-run second inning ruined its chances of claiming a necessary series win.

Maryland’s next series against Michigan was no different.

The Wolverines scored nine second-inning runs, blowing the game wide open as the Terps fell 17-5 in seven innings on Saturday at Bob Smith Stadium. The loss is Maryland’s fourth consecutive to a Big Ten opponent.

In Maryland’s series opener, its pitching staff was stifling. The Terps used just two pitchers, as sophomores Cristofer Cespedes and Lance Williams combined to throw 10 innings and issued just two runs on four hits.

But the Maryland (22-25, 6-17 Big Ten) could not match that outing on Saturday. 

No Maryland pitcher lasted more than 2.1 innings, and five pitchers took the mound in the loss. The staff’s troubles were highlighted in the second inning, as Maryland used three pitchers and surrendered nine runs.

The second inning was similar to Maryland’s nine-run frame in its season finale against Michigan State as the Terps retired the first Michigan (29-19, 14-9 Big Ten) batter before seeing eight consecutive batters reach base safely. 

The second frame was just the start of Colby Turner’s strong day against the Terps, totaling seven RBIs on four hits. On the first pitch of the junior’s second at-bat in as many innings, he ripped a double into left field off Maryland’s starting pitcher Brayden Ryan. 

The knock scored junior Drew Culbertson from first base and extended Michigan’s lead to 3-0. The RBI was the only one Tutner recorded that was not a home run.

The two homers came in different styles, with his first coming on a line drive over the left-center field fence in the fourth inning. His second came three innings later on a towering drive that hit the Maryland practice facility. Turner came into the game hitting .388 for the season with eight home runs

After the second inning, head coach Matt Swope gave relievers generally reserved for midweek games opportunities to pitch. Redshirt junior James Gladden relieved Ryan in the second inning, but struggled with his command. The right-hander generated just one out and threw three wild pitches.

The Terps’ bullpen struggled beyond just the second inning. Maryland utilized three different pitchers, but none of them could consistently slow down Michigan’s offense. The three pitchers tossed five combined innings, while allowing seven earned runs. 

Though it made minimal difference on the scoreboard, Maryland took advantage of the bases-loaded opportunities that came to them. 

Maryland struggled to score runners in scoring position last season, especially with the bases loaded. While some of those problems have carried into this season, Maryland scored during four of its five bases-loaded situations on Saturday.

But the opportunistic offense was not enough to keep Maryland out of mercy rule territory, as Turner’s seventh-inning three-run homer and a scoreless bottom frame ended the game after seven innings.

Maryland now has two Big Ten series remaining for the 2026 season. Maryland sits tied for second-worst in the conference and faces long odds to make the Big Ten playoffs. There is a four-way tie in the standings for the final seed, but only Indiana has lost a weekend series to Maryland.