Photo courtesy of Allison Mize/Maryland Terrapins
It’s a scenario that Terps fans are all too familiar with: the Maryland bats rack up several runs, the starting pitcher controls the game, the relievers come in and give up the lead, the Maryland bats miraculously tie the game at the last-minute, and the Terps bullpen coughs up the lead again.
The Terps (7-6, 0-1 Big Ten) dropped their first game of the series 12-6 to the UCLA Bruins in a game where they led 5-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth. Ryan Van Buren got his second loss of the season, while Wylan Moss escaped with a win.
Maryland called upon Andrew Johnson for the save in the eighth inning with a 5-3 lead. He went to two outs in the top of the ninth, but with two men on base he gave up the go-ahead three-run home run, ending the inning down by one.
Chris Hacopian was back in the lineup after missing three games due to a back injury. For the first eight innings of the game, he was sluggish at best, drawing two walks and accounting for two outs. But he found his stride at the perfect time with his home run to tie what seemed like a lost game in the bottom of the ninth.
But unfortunately for the Terrapins, the game did not stay tied for long. With Ryan Van Buren up on the mound, the Bruins loaded up the bases and scored on a walk, bringing up Mulivai Levu with a one-run lead. Levu took a middle-middle fastball and cleared the bases, securing a five run lead in fewer than six pitches.
Coach Matt Swope voiced his disapproval of his bullpen after the game.
“We’ve got to get a little bit better effort from the back end,” Swope said. “It just seems like that’s the way it’s going this season.”
The Terps are looking to conserve bullpen arms for the series, which is why Van Buren stayed in the game for the entire tenth inning.
“We don’t have many guys,” Swope said. “With Evan [Smith] being down, and [Logan] Hastings is starting tomorrow, it’s a perfect situation to be in.”
Kyle McCoy continued to be one of Maryland’s most reliable pitchers. In his six innings on the mound, he denied the UCLA (11-3, 1-0) lineup any runs while only giving up two hits. His eight strikeouts were the most in one game for any Terps pitcher this season.
The Bruins were only able to score on McCoy after he had thrown 95 pitches. A walk and a double set up Jacob Hocking for a line drive RBI single up the middle to score Mulivai Levu, immediately ending McCoy’s day.
Alex Calarco continued his plate dominance with a two-run home run in the first inning, giving the Terrapins an early lead. His home run against Cody Delvecchio was his ninth of the season, and it got him to 31 RBIs in just 53 at-bats.
Aden Hill hit his own home run to break up three scoreless innings for the Terps, taking Delvecchio deep in the fifth inning. Later in the inning, Jacob Orr scored from third after a passed ball rolled through catcher Cashel Dugger’s legs, giving the Terps a four-run lead.
The fifth inning ended with Delvecchio striking out Calarco with the bases loaded, after which the two got in each other’s faces and started yelling. Delvecchio demonstratively waved his arm pointing his finger, while Calarco verbally retorted. Players converged on the scene but the two separated themselves from each other.
Jack Wren had a rough time getting out of the seventh inning in relief of McCoy, and his struggles turned a strong lead into a close game. Following McCoy’s exit, Wren gave up two additional runs, and he was pulled in the eighth inning after putting men on first and second.
The Terps will look to right the ship tomorrow at 2 p.m.
