Maryland baseball drops series vs. Northwestern in 11-1 loss

Photo courtesy of Chris Lyons/Maryland Athletics

After falling behind early, Maryland looked to stop Northwestern’s offense in the fifth inning. But an error by Eddie Hacopian on a routine ground ball at first base tacked on another run for the Wildcats and kick-started a disastrous seven-run inning.

Northwestern (12-19, 2-6 Big Ten) never looked back after the big frame, using it to secure an 11-0 victory over Maryland in Evanston, Illinois on Saturday afternoon.

The blowout win also secured the Wildcats’ first Big Ten series win of the season and extended Maryland baseball’s (22-14, 4-7 Big Ten) losing streak to three.

Unlike Friday’s game, Northwestern notched the opening run. Leadoff hitter Preston Knott wasted no time, blasting a home run to right field in the first inning.

Knott entered Saturday’s day on a five-game multi-hit streak, which he extended to six games. The junior finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a home run following his 2-for-4 night on Friday.

The Wildcats continued to add to their lead in the following inning when Lorenzo Rios ripped a two-out double down the right-field line, doubling the lead.

The designated hitter spot has been a revolving door for Northwestern all season, but Rios made the most of his opportunities in Saturday’s matchup. He finished 2-3 at the plate with four RBIs, including three of the first four RBIs of the game.

A pair of Maryland miscues prolonged the fourth inning for the Wildcats, allowing Rios to double the lead again on another two-out double.

Northwestern blew the game wide open in the fifth inning. More miscues by the Maryland defense helped the Wildcats to score three runs. A pair of hits from Bennett Markinson and Knott allowed the Wildcats to finish the fifth frame, scoring seven runs and ballooning the lead to 11-0.

Maryland starting pitcher Logan Koester’s struggles in his prior two outings continued into Saturday’s game. While Koester wasn’t helped by his defense, he still allowed seven hits and five earned runs over 4.1 innings pitched. 

Knott’s lead-off home run marks the third consecutive game where Koester allowed a home run after not allowing a home run through his first five starts.

Maryland’s offense was unable to do anything until the ninth inning against a Northwestern team that entered the series last in ERA in the Big Ten. 

Alex Calarco scored the lone RBI for Maryland on a double down the right-field line against his former team, but it was too little too late for the Terps.

Maryland will look to avoid a series sweep on Sunday at 2 p.m.