Photo by Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.
Maryland baseball and No. 1 UCLA were not short on hits in Saturday’s matchup.
Maryland totaled 13 total hits while UCLA notched 10. But the difference was the Bruins’ ability to drive home runners in scoring position.
Maryland struggled to get clutch hits, leaving 12 runners on base and going 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. The result was Maryland’s third straight loss as it fell 8-3 to UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
UCLA (20-2, 8-0 Big Ten) had another great start, posting four runs in the opening frame – one less than Friday’s first. Junior infielder Roman Martin opened the scoring with an RBI double, and redshirt junior outfielder Payton Brennan added three more with his fourth home run of the season to take a 4-0 lead.
The middle of the order was productive the whole game for UCLA. Martin and junior first baseman Mulivai Levu started the game with two hits and later scored both times.
UCLA’s offense continued to thrive in the third inning as a sacrifice fly and an RBI single by junior catcher Cashel Dugger extended the Bruins lead.
Maryland starter Evan Smith ran into more trouble in the following inning, as an error and two free passes ended his night with the bases loaded. Sophomore Cristofer Cespedes took over in the fourth inning and minimized the damage.
The right-hander allowed just one run over 4.1 innings and allowed Maryland’s offense to try to mount a comeback.
Maryland (11-11, 1-4 Big Ten) got the bats going quickly, opening the scoring with an RBI double from sophomore Rylen Stockton. Saturday’s designated hitter had just one RBI in the last six games before his first inning hit that scored junior David Mendez.
Stockton continued his strong play with a single in the third, giving the Terps a one-out baserunner. Paul Jones II knocked a ball to the center field wall, and head coach Matt Swope waved Stockton around third. But Stockton was gunned down by a strong relay started by junior centerfielder Will Gasparino to end the top of the frame.
Maryland’s offense had back-to-back chances in the seventh and eighth innings to continue to cut into the deficit, putting runners on with no outs.
But the Terps were unable to capitalize in either inning. In the seventh frame, Maryland left two runners stranded, and the eighth inning was worse. The Terps put runners on the corners with no outs, and later loaded the bases, but a groundout to second base ended the inning.
The runners left on base proved too costly to overcome UCLA’s early lead, resulting in Maryland dropping its second consecutive Big Ten series.
Maryland will now look to avoid a series sweep against UCLA on Sunday. The first pitch of the final game is scheduled for 4 p.m.
