Maryland baseball dominated by Indiana, 14-2, securing series loss

Josh Pyne looked to deliver a knockout blow to the Terps with two runners on base in the top of the sixth.

Pune did just that, blasting an opposite-field home run over the left-field fence to cap off a seven-run sixth inning.

The big frame doomed any chances Maryland baseball had of a comeback. It fell to Indiana, 14-2, in its second blowout loss in as many games. The Hoosiers clinched the series win with the result.

The seven-run frame marked the fourth time in two games that the Terps (21-10, 3-5 Big Ten) allowed four or more runs in a single inning. The series defeat was Maryland’s first back-to-back Big Ten series loss since 2019.

Indiana (18-14, 3-2 Big Ten) showcased its high-powered offense in Friday’s matchup en route to a 15 run output. The Hoosiers continued to dominate the Maryland pitching in Saturday’s game.

Nick Mitchell pushed Indiana in front 3-0 in the opening frame on a home run to right field. The home run gave Mitchell his seventh RBI in 10 innings against Maryland.

Mitchell had an impressive performance in game one of the weekend series, going 4-5 with three RBIs. He continued to torch the Maryland pitching staff in game two, getting on base three times and finishing the game with three RBIs.

Logan Koester entered the game looking to bounce back after his worst start of the season against Michigan. He eclipsed the four-inning mark for the seventh time this season but didn’t look like the same pitcher during his first six starts. The long ball has hurt Koester recently, as he’s allowed three home runs over his last 5.1 innings.

Koester struggled with his command against Indiana, allowing the Hoosiers to put the barrel of the bat on numerous pitches. The Hoosiers scored six runs on Koester, resulting in his second-highest earned run total of the season.

“Logan’s been really good most of the season [and] he’s been our best arm,” coach Matt Swope said. “We’re gonna need [Kenny Lippman and Koester] to pitch on the weekend … especially with a lot of injuries that we have.”

Joey Brenczewski joined Mitchell with a big night in the series opener. He continued to hit off Maryland pitching on Saturday. 

A perfectly executed hit-and-run into the left-field corner gave Brenczewski his fourth RBI of the series and the Hoosiers a 4-0 lead. Indiana continued to add to its lead as Pyne scored another run later in the inning with a base hit through the right side of the infield.

Andrew Johnson relieved Koester in the fifth inning, but things went even worse for Maryland. The Terps’ bullpen allowed nine runs in game one of the series and couldn’t give Maryland’s offense a chance to rally in the late-innings in game two with a seven-run sixth inning.

The frame was highlighted by Pyne’s home run, who finished the game with a game-high five RBIs.

“We tried to build the depth in the bullpen, and we’ve been devastated right now with injuries,” Swope said. “We got to be better.”

Unlike with Koester, Indiana starting pitcher Connor Foley was on point with his command all day. The sophomore struck out 10 batters and forced the Terps into a lot of weak contact when they did make contact. Foley finished the game with just one hit allowed and no runs through six innings.

Maryland only got five runners on base against Foley.

“He was elite,” Swope said. “We had a plan to make him prove he can throw the off-speed, and he was literally going out and pitching backward.”

The Terps scored two runs in the eighth inning against Indiana’s bullpen, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome their massive deficit.

Maryland will look to avoid a series sweep on Sunday, a feat that hasn’t happened to the Terps since 2019.