Photo courtesy of Ian Cox/Maryland Terrapins
Alex Calarco’s seventh-inning grand slam wasn’t enough for the Terps to get it done as Western Carolina rallied from behind to take the first game of the series 8-7.
The Maryland Terrapins (2-2) took on the Western Carolina Catamounts (2-3) in Cullowhee, NC on Friday afternoon.
Redshirt sophomore Kyle McCoy threw 79 pitches in his six innings in his second start of the season. He allowed three runs in the first inning and was dominant beyond that.
“I don’t think you can ask for much more… if we play cleaner he might not give up a run at all,” head coach Matt Swope said on McCoy’s performance.
A rotation change saw sophomore Brayden Martin lead off for the Terps after his amazing opening weekend where he batted 5-for-9 with 3 walks. He finished the game going 1-for-3 with a walk.
Senior Alex Calarco continues his hot streak after getting three home runs in the doubleheader on Saturday, he ends today 4-for-5 with an RBI single and a grand slam. He has had four home runs in his last three games, matching his 2024 season total.
The defensive struggles continued for Eddie Hacopian, who was moved to third base at the start of the season, as he ended the game with two errors.
“We just got to play cleaner defense, the same kinda thing we’ve been preaching all year, we just got to pick up the ball and throw it to first base,” Swope said.
Senior Ryan Van Buren and sophomore Andrew Koshy both struggled heavily in their relief efforts. Both were responsible for one out yet Koshy was responsible for two runs, and Buren for three in the seventh inning, which ultimately decided the game.
The first inning saw a lot of scoring as the Terps put in two runs while on two outs. An RBI double from redshirt sophomore transfer Hollis Porter, and an RBI single from Calarco.
The Catamounts then put their mark on the first inning with a three-run homerun from Trent Turner.
Both pitchers picked it up and the scoring stopped. West Carolina’s starting pitcher Dusty Revis pitched until the middle of the fifth inning before he was taken out after a sophomore Chris Hacopian hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three.
However, the seventh inning saw the most scoring. On the Terrapins side, they started the inning with an error, a walk, and then a single to load the bases. Then Calarco stepped up to base and hit the grand slam to give the Terps a four-run lead.
The seventh inning didn’t go accordingly for the Terps defense either. Koshy let up a two-run home run to cut the lead in half and moved to Van Buren who loaded the bases and gave up three runs. Senior Andrew Johnson then came into the game and got the last run of the inning. He would finish the game for the Terps.
After the seventh inning, the score would stay stagnant, although the Terps got on base four times in the last two innings, including a Jordan Crosland reach to second.
Despite a good offensive effort for the Terps that saw them end the game with ten hits and nine batters left on base, they fell short and fell to 2-2.
“There’s no reason to panic, we’re four games in,” coach Swope said looking forward, “We just need to play cleaner defense.”
The Terps now look to even the series and avoid falling below .500 in tomorrow’s match on ESPN+ at 2 p.m.
