Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.
In the middle of the eighth inning, Maryland baseball took the field down just one run against No. 9 Virginia and appeared in position to pull off a comeback victory.
The game ended in mercy rule after the bottom of the eighth.
The Terps – after leading the game twice – gave up nine runs in the eighth inning in a 16-6 loss to the ninth-ranked Cavaliers.
Maryland never trailed by more than a run through the first seven innings of the game, even leading the game by two runs by the middle of the third inning. Virginia scored first, and the Terps matched the Cavaliers run-for-run right up to the eighth inning.
The game fell apart for Maryland when Logan Hastings, the pitcher Matt Swope said he “trusts the most,” took the mound in the eighth inning with the Terps down one run. Virginia put together a nine-run rally against both Hastings and Landon Edwards, who relieved him after the former gave up a three-run double to Joe Tiroly.
Hastings, who pitched Sunday, showed signs of fatigue against the six batters he faced. Throughout his 24 pitches he did not seem to have any issue locating the strike zone, but his velocity was down, and the Cavaliers took advantage to the tune of five runs.
Landon Edwards struggled to find the strike zone. Of the 23 pitches Edwards threw, just six were strikes. He issued three walks and threw a wild pitch, which scored Kyle Johnson for the fourteenth run of the game.
Before the eighth inning, Jackson Sirois had been leading Maryland’s competitive offensive effort from the eighth slot in the order. The Terps’ third baseman ended the day with an RBI and two runs scored, going 2-3 at the plate.
This was Maryland’s second consecutive game ending in a mercy rule – the Terps lost to No. 1 UCLA 14-4 in a game which ended after the eighth inning on Sunday. Three of their last four games have not reached the ninth inning of play.
Maryland will have another challenge ahead of them in No. 13 USC, as they return to College Park for a three game series against their second Big Ten opponent of the season.
