David Falco Jr. worked his way into a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the top of the eighth inning with Maryland baseball up by four.
As the tying run at the plate, Couper Cornblum ripped a ball off the wall in left-center field.
Two runs came in to score, with a third Boilermaker chugging around third base, heading for home. But a beautiful relay by Elijah Lambros and Matt Shaw gunned down the final runner, as Luke Shliger placed the tag down just in time to save a run and end the inning.
“What an incredible relay there at the end,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “It’s three inches away from being a tie game and instead we leave there with a two-run lead. Lambros played it perfectly, great feed to Shaw, and then Shaw threw a rocket right in to [Shliger] to nab a guy that absolutely flies.”
Maryland and Purdue went back-and-forth all afternoon long, trading blows all throughout. But the Terps (25-15, 8-4 B1G) clung to their slim advantage to take the final battle of a three-game over the Boilermakers (19-20, 8-7 B1G), 10-8.
Kenny Lippman got the start — just his second of the year — with the rotation in limbo after senior right-hander Nick Dean was scratched from his Saturday nod due to injury. Freshman left-hander Kyle McCoy was pushed up from his usual Sunday spot to Saturday, leaving Lippman as Vaughn’s choice for the rubber match.
Lippman allowed just one run, eating up five key innings for Vaughn in a role he usually doesn’t take on. Lippman’s longest outing of the season prior to Sunday was a three-inning, 60-pitch performance against UCF. But the fifth-year right-hander threw 72 pitches against the Boilermakers, showing off his stamina and ability to be versatile in multiple roles, either starting games or coming out of the bullpen.
“[Lippman] was the story of the game,” Vaughn said. “When we sent him out, I was like, ‘Okay, maybe he can get us two [innings], let us get through the lineup once and then we can turn it over to the next guy.’ He just kept rolling … what an outstanding job he did.”
The Maryland offense used some unconventional small ball to power its offense early, putting two runs on the board in the third inning courtesy of two beautifully placed bunts by fifth-year right fielder Matt Woods and senior left fielder Bobby Zmarzlak.
“The first [bunt] was a called one from me,” Vaughn said. “I didn’t really see [Zmarzlak’s], and [third base coach Matt] Swope kind of gave me a look … the bunt was there, so we sent it in and Bob executed it perfectly and we’re able to push it across.”
The Terps’ bats used six early singles to make up most of their offensive production, scoring four runs off of just one extra-base hit through four frames.
But the power bats woke up in the middle portion of the game, starting with Ian Petrutz. Maryland’s sophomore designated hitter pulled a ball over the right field wall for a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth, extending Maryland’s lead to 5-1.
Junior left-hander Tommy Kane entered the game to begin the sixth frame in relief of Lippman.
Kane allowed a walk and two early singles, cutting the Boilermakers’ deficit from four runs to three before recording an out. Junior third baseman Jo Stevens then smoked a ball up the middle to plate two more runs. Maryland led by four entering the half-inning, but only clung to a one-run advantage by the end of it.
The bats continued to produce for Maryland in the sixth inning, putting up a three-spot.
Shaw started the scoring with an RBI single on a liner into center field that brought home Shliger from third. Sophomore first baseman Eddie Hacopian then knocked in two more runs with a home run to center field, giving Maryland an 8-4 lead by the end of the frame.
Kane was pulled from for Falco after walking the leadoff hitter in the top of the seventh. The redshirt junior right-hander allowed two runs on two hits as the Boilermakers continued to fight, cutting their deficit back to two, 8-6.
Shliger and Lambros quickly responded with the Terps’ third and fourth homers of the game in the bottom of the seventh to give their club a 10-6 advantage.
“That’s what the pack offense is,” Vaughn said. “That’s kind of our identity as an offense. You lengthen the field by hitting doubles and homers and you shorten the field by making those guys have to stand on the grass because you can drag, sac, push, whatever that may be. So really good offenses can score multiple ways.”
Falco worked his way into a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth, allowing two runs to cross home before the third was thrown out at the plate.
The Terps held a 10-8 lead going into the top of the ninth and were able to come out victorious, as Falco retired the side in order to give them their fourth-straight Big Ten series victory.
