Photo by Ian Cox/Maryland Terrapins
As shortstop Chris Hacopian drove a home run ball over the left field wall in the pouring rain, it looked like Maryland baseball might stage another comeback win.
But after a two-hour rain delay, the momentum seemed to dissipate as Hacopian’s blast was the final tally for the Terps.
Maryland (22-27, 8-16 Big Ten) could not complete the sweep of Penn State (27-19, 12-14 Big Ten) in State College, dropping the final game of the series 8-4 on Sunday.
The Terps got on the board in the first inning with a two-run home run off the bat of designated hitter Hollis Porter. Pitcher Mason Butash hung a breaking ball over the center of the plate, and Porter sent the pitch over the left field wall, giving Maryland a 2-0 lead.
The homer gives Porter a chance to finish the season with the most home runs in the Big Ten. With his two home runs this weekend, Porter brought his season total to 20, three behind Oregon’s Mason Neville. Porter has seven more games to catch Neville.
Maryland’s only other runs also came on a two-run blast. Hacopian got his tenth home run of the season in the downpouring rain, cutting the Terps’ deficit to two in the seventh inning.
This was a particularly strong series for Hacopian, tying Maryland’s single-game hit record on Saturday and going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs on Sunday.
Later in the seventh inning — after a two-hour rain delay — Penn State pitcher Mason Horwat loaded up the bases and put the go-ahead run at the plate. But the Terps’ struggles to drive home runners continued as they failed to capitalize on the opportunity and finished the day with 11 runners left on base.
Maryland’s two runs were neutralized in the bottom frame with an RBI double from catcher Nate Voss and an RBI single from outfielder Cohl Mercado. Both RBIs came with two outs.
Terps starter Omar Melendez had a strong start to the game, limiting the Nittany Lions to just one run through the first three innings. But afterwards, Melendez struggled. The senior surrendered three runs in the inning and two in the following inning, leaving the Terps in a 6-2 hole.
Derek Cease had only started one game for the Nittany Lions this season before this series, but he consistently terrorized Maryland’s pitching throughout all three games. He was one of the hardest outs in the Penn State lineup, batting at least .500 in every game, and he routinely scored when he got on base.
The Terps’ road trip will continue as they travel to Harrisonburg, Va., on Wednesday for a midweek game against James Madison.
