Photo courtesy of Kevin Snyder/Maryland Athletics.
Maryland’s defense struggled with two main things in its first game against Penn State – allowing big hits and free bases.
Friday’s game was a complete reversal. The Terps mashed four home runs and won the walk battle.
Maryland baseball (26-29, 8-21) crushed the Nittany Lions (16-34, 9-20), winning 12-2 in seven innings and evening the series behind power hitting and strong pitching.
David Mendez got the Terps on the board early with a solo home run over the centerfield wall. The second baseman launched a homer earlier in the week against Georgetown and had a day off in the series opener, making this his second in as many games.
That was one of 4 homers hit by Maryland bats. The next came from catcher Devin Russell in the fourth inning – a two-run shot that extended the Terps’ lead to 6-1.
Freshman outfielder Bud Coombs was next – after working ahead in the count, he launched a solo shot over the right center wall. The young batter has shown impressive power over a small sample size, hitting 18 extra base hits in 29 games played.
Russell struck again in the seventh inning. The senior would hit his second of the game in the bottom of the frame, walking off the run-rule victory.
Continuing the trend of fixing issues from the first game of the series, Maryland’s offense excelled with runners on base.
The Terps’ first big opportunity came in the second inning, when they loaded the bases with one out. A hit by pitch scored one and junior Brayden Martin brought two more home with a single.
Mendez continued his hot hitting in the sixth with a base clearing triple, pushing the lead to 11-2.
Maryland’s defense didn’t need nearly as much run support as it got, shutting down the Nittany Lions after allowing 13 runs in Thursday’s game.
Cristofer Cespedes got his third straight Friday night start .The big right-hander was coming off a seven inning performance where he gave up five runs – only one was earned.
The sophomore pitcher was a strikeout machine against the Nittany Lions, ending his night with 12 Ks. He kept batters guessing, partnering his fastball with well-placed offspeed pitches.
The only blemishes on Cespedes’ performance were two solo home runs, continuing Penn State’s power hitting from the series opener on Thursday.
Brayden Ryan took over for Cespedes in the seventh inning, protecting a nine-run lead. After loading the bases, the right-hander was able to escape with no damage, fielding a ground ball and flipping it to first to end the frame.
The offense took care of business in the bottom of the seventh, ending the game after extending the lead to 10 runs.
Maryland faces off with the Nittany Lions in the series-deciding third game on Saturday. First pitch from Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
