Maryland baseball falls in second game of series to Albany, 6-3

Maryland entered Saturday’s matchup against Albany with a chance to extend its winning streak to seven games. But the Terps were unable to repeat their offensive performance from Friday night’s win, recording ten hits but leaving nine runners on base for just three runs.

Maryland baseball (10-8) fell to Albany (3-8-1) Saturday afternoon, 6-3. 

After scoring 18 runs in Friday’s win over the Great Danes, Maryland baseball struggled offensively, getting outmatched by an Albany pitching staff that entered with an 8.90 ERA. 

Albany starting pitcher Connor Eisenmann entered with a 9.95 ERA, but didn’t play like it. 

The junior pitched six innings, striking out four while holding Maryland to their only three runs of the game. 

“[Eisenmann] just landed his breaking ball,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “We left the zone on some, we took some we should have hit … As a unit that team just beat the heck out of us.”

The Terps got into scoring position in the first after loading the bases with two outs. Maryland was unable to convert, however, as sophomore designated hitter Ian Petrutz grounded out to end the inning. 

Maryland similarly stranded the bases loaded in the first inning in Friday’s match against the Great Danes, leaving 10 runners on base in total. 

Albany responded by loading the bases itself in the second, this time with one out. Unlike Maryland, the Great Danes converted with a sac fly by redshirt senior catcher Carson Dunkel. Senior right-hander Nick Dean was able to escape the inning in the next at bat, but struggled with his command, throwing 13 balls in 28 pitches. 

The Terps responded in the third with a pair of runs. With runners on second and third, junior shortstop Matt Shaw delivered an RBI groundout to first base, sending home the tying run. Shaw is hitting .304 on the season with nine RBIs and three home runs.

The next at bat, junior second baseman Kevin Keister drove a single up the middle, bringing home the leading run. The hit was Keister’s 16th RBI of the season.

The Great Danes retook the lead in the fifth. Freshman second baseman Victor Mazzara led off with a triple down the right field line. Mazzara then reached home the next at bat following an error by Keister, tying the game. 

Three at bats later with runners on first and second, junior right fielder Dan Tauken destroyed a ball into right field for a three-run homer as Albany retook the lead, 5-2. Tauken entered Saturday sporting a .371 batting average on the year, the highest on Albany. 

After the home run, Dean was pulled for fifth year right-hander Kenny Lippman. Dean pitched 4.1 innings in his start, striking out five but allowing five hits and four earned runs. 

After walking his first batter, Lippman and the Terps closed the inning with two straight outs. Lippman threw 1.2 innings and was replaced by junior left-hander Tommy Kane to begin the seventh.  

The Terps could not respond in the bottom half of the frame, stranding senior third baseman Nick Lorusso at third after his leadoff double. 

Once again, the Terps got into scoring position in the sixth inning. After getting hit by a pitch to lead off, Petrutz advanced to third after a throwing error on an Eddie Hacopian single. Senior left fielder Bobby Zmarzlak brought Petrutz home the next at bat with an RBI single, bringing the deficit to two. 

Albany quickly brought it back to a three-run lead in the seventh, however. In the leadoff at bat, junior third baseman Will Binder smashed a solo home run into left field, extending Albany’s lead, 6-3. 

Kane kept Albany scoreless in the eighth, pitching a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. 

Maryland was unable to respond in the eighth, as Albany recorded a double play to end the inning.

“We just couldn’t sustain a rally offensively, we couldn’t sustain at bats consistently offensively,” Vaughn said. 

After a scoreless top frame, the Terps led off with the top of the lineup in the bottom of the ninth. But the team could not generate any offense once again, recording three straight outs as they fell to Albany, 6-3.

“They played cleaner defense on us,” Vaughn said. “They’re starting pitcher was better than us. And they swung the bat way better than we did.”

The two teams will meet again on Sunday at 1 p.m for the rubber match.