Photo by Rose Fernandes/ Maryland Athletics
Nothing Maryland baseball did could stop UCLA in the top of the second.
Maryland (8-7, 1-2 Big Ten) allowed 11 runs, including a Mulivai Levu three-run home run over the centerfield wall, in the bottom of the second as the UCLA Bruins (12-4, 2-1 Big Ten) cruised to an 11-5 on Sunday at Bob Smith Stadium.
“I think right now we are an average team,” head coach Matt Swope said. “I’m pretty happy with how we played overall this weekend, but we’re still 2-2 [this week].”
The series was tied 1-1 after Saturday’s game, which saw the Terps win 13-3 through seven innings because the run rules kicked in.
The Terps offense was rolling heading into Sunday’s contest, with seven home runs in the first two games of the series and scoring nineteen runs.
But Maryland’s offense couldn’t replicate their success. The Bruins limited any explosive plays and stranded 13 Maryland base runners.
Sophomore Joey McMannis got the start on the mound for the Terps. Sunday was the fourth start on the season for McMannis who was pulled early against Wake Forest the prior weekend due to an injury.
The right-hander pitched well in his brief start against Wake Forest, surrendering zero runs, but saw the worst start of his season against UCLA.
McMannis’ day was cut short in the second inning after the Bruins scored eight runs without a single out. He failed to stay on top of the bats and allowed consistent contact up the lanes, making it challenging for the Terps’ defense.
He finished his day allowing seven earned runs and only recording three outs.
“Just gotta get a better start; it’s as simple as that,” Swope said. “We had a couple plays defensively, but the game was pretty much out of hand from there.”
Maryland’s pitching staff was nearly perfect after the second inning, allowing no runs and just four base runners.
On the Bruins’ side, sophomore Landon Stump got the start on the mound. It was his fourth start of the season, entering the game with a 4.05 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched.
Stump did not have a clean game, allowing multiple base runners in three of his four innings pitched, but got out of most situations with runners in scoring position. He ended the game with four hits, four walks and two earned runs through 4.1 innings pitched.
The Terps tallied five runs in their comeback effort but never found an opportunity to close the gap.
“I like the way we crawled back a little bit,” Swope said. “Just got to get a better start.”
Sophomore Michael Iannazzo had one of the best performances for the Terps, coming into the game in the bottom of the sixth inning and hitting 2-for-2, including a two-RBI double and a walk
Another good performance on the Terps side was junior Aden Hill who hit 3-for-4 with two RBI hits and also reached base following a hit by pitch. Hill has followed a slow start to the year with some very strong hitting since the Princeton series.
“He was hitting the balls hard early in the year, it just wasn’t necessarily falling,” Swope said. “Things are kinda turning the tide with him a little bit.”
Maryland has not taken a three-game series this season, with a prior series loss to Western Carolina in late February.
The Terps will now look to their next Power Five opportunity on Tuesday when they travel to Virginia to play the Cavaliers.
