Photo courtesy of Ashley Ray/Maryland Terrapins
With one out in the top of the tenth inning, grad student Tyler Ganus took an 0-2 pitch and drilled it over the centerfield wall, giving the Wildcats a 6-5 lead—a moment that seemed improbable an inning before when the Terps led 5-3.
Maryland baseball (13-14, 2-5 Big Ten) wasn’t able to score following the home run, and the Northwestern Wildcats (10-12, 3-3) took the first game of the series 6-5 on Friday in College Park.
Redshirt freshman Kyle McCoy took the mound to start the game for the Terps. McCoy is coming off his worst performance of the season at Washington, where he ended with five earned runs in 4.2 innings, earning his first loss.
Before that, McCoy had been a consistent answer for the Terps for their Friday game slot. Notably, his last start before Washington, he pitched eight innings against South Florida, only surrendering one earned run.
McCoy started the game slow for the Terps, letting up two runs, four hits and a walk in the first two innings, which took him over 40 pitches to complete.
He continued to pitch through the sixth inning, allowing zero runs after the second inning. He allowed a lot of contact with eight hits, but he was able to strand eight batters. He ended with three strikeouts, two walks and two earned runs while throwing 104 pitches.
McCoy also ended his outing with an electric fielding play. He grabbed a short hit and beat Northwestern’s grad student Tyler Gunas in a foot race to first base.
Graduate student Sam Hliboki started for the Wildcats. He had started the season from the bullpen but was promoted to a starting position in a series against The Citadel.
This was Hliboki’s first Friday start of the season, entering with a 3.78 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched and a 1-2 record.
Hliboki had an adequate start for the Wildcats. He pounded the strike zone, ending the game with six strikeouts in his 6.1 innings pitched. He allowed three runs in the third inning and the solo home run to Hill in the seventh. He ended the game only allowing three hits and a walk, but also hit three batters.
Northwestern started the scoring early after junior Trent Liolios hit an early home run off Kyle McCoy in the top of the second inning.
Redshirt sophomore Hollis Porter started the scoring for the Terps in the bottom of the third with a three-run bomb to centerfield. That was Porter’s fifth home run in his last seven games and his tenth of the season. He has stepped up when the Terps have been desperate for somebody to perform at the plate.
In the top of the seventh, the Wildcats were able to tie the game at three after an error in left field by senior Jacob Orr.
Junior Aden Hill led off the seventh inning and took a 2-2 pitch deep to right field, bringing the score to 4-3. The Terps would add to that lead after a Northwestern balk in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Terps’ batting was contained once again. Coming off a series at Washington where they could only put up six total runs, the Terps were able to put up five runs, however, they ended the game with only four hits.
The bullpen, which has struggled throughout the season, wasn’t able to finish the game for the Terps after bringing a 5-3 lead into the top of the ninth. Liolios hit his second home run of the game, this time a game-tying two-run shot.
“Guys just got to work ahead, it’s a pretty simple game when you can execute working ahead, again a lead off walk hurts you with a home run […] if it’s a solo homer it doesn’t hurt,” head coach Matt Swope said.
Liolios has been the best hitter for the Wildcats all year and brought his total to eleven home runs on the season.
With the game tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth with only one out, Elijah Lambros climbed the ladder and robbed a home run before throwing to first base to convert a double play. One of the best plays by the Terps so far this season.
The Terps were unable to score again after the eighth inning, eventually losing in extra innings after Gunas hit a home run in the top of the tenth.
“I expect more from everyone,” said Swope after the game when asked if he expects more from his senior pitcher, Andrew Johnson.
The Terps let another game slip through their fingers, and they will now be looking to win the next two and reverse sweep the series.
