Photo by Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.
Maryland baseball faced a nine-run deficit in two separate innings on Friday.
But heading into the ninth inning, the Terps were down by just one run. With the top of Maryland’s batting order up in the final inning, the Terps sought to complete the comeback.
Yet Maryland went in order in the final frame. The result was an 11-10 loss to No. 12 USC at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium and its sixth consecutive loss.
“We have to play better baseball,” coach Matt Swope said. “We’re competing with some of the best teams in the country, but we’ve got to win some of these games to be respectable.”
Lance Williams was on the mound to start the game for the Terps (11-14, 1-6). The sophomore struggled in his last outing, surrendering a five-run first inning against UCLA. Williams struggled with command throughout the start, hitting six batters. Friday’s contest saw a similar pattern.
Williams’ command issues started early as consistent rain throughout the early innings contributed to the right-hander issuing 10 free passes. Six of those came in the first inning as four walks and a pair of hit batters, creating a taxing frame as Williams threw 46 pitches and allowed four runs.
Maryland’s fielders were also impacted by the weather early in the game. Ryan Costello failed to complete two potential double plays in the first two innings, missing the pick and letting the ball bounce past first base both times.
USC (25-2, 9-1 Big Ten) struck again in the third inning. Sophomore Maximo Martinez sent a ball over the left field wall for a solo homer, extending the lead to 5-1. It was the third baseman’s second home run of the season.
The Trojans added two more with a sharply hit RBI single that bounced off second base and away from freshman infielder Ty Kaunas. Two more runs shortly after ended Williams’ night after just 2.2 innings and gave USC a 9-1 lead.
Andrew Koshy relieved Williams in the third, inheriting two baserunners. But the junior minimized the damage, allowing just one earned run and five baserunners across a season-high 3.1 innings.
“He was able to stabilize the middle innings for us and give us a chance to inch back in the game,” Swope said.
Junior Mason Edwards earned the start for USC. The left-hander came into the game leading Division I in earned run average with a 0.25 ERA through 36 innings pitched.
Maryland would have an immediate chance against Edwards with the bases loaded and no outs in the first. Junior David Mendez knocked a ball to the warning track, scoring a run and marking just the second earned run Edwards had given up all year. But Maryland was unable to add to its total as a double play ended the inning.
Edwards was back to his normal self after the first inning, striking out the side and finishing the contest with 10 punchouts. Edwards boasted a conference-best 64 strikeouts, heading into the game — a mark that was 17 greater than the next best.
Maryland secured a second run on Edwards with a wild pitch in the third inning on a passed ball, marking the most runs Edwards allowed in a single outing all season.
The Terps had another good look in the fifth inning. Three straight singles loaded the bases and forced USC to use its bullpen.
Graduate student Henry Chabot took over in the fifth with the bases loaded. Back-to-back walks added two more runs to the board for Maryland, but a double play ended another bases-loaded situation, leaving USC with an 11-4 advantage.
Maryland’s bats came alive in the seventh inning. Catcher Rylen Stockton launched a solo home run to right-center, and third baseman Jackson Sirois added two more with an RBI double
Costello continued to add to Maryland’s lead in the following inning, blasting his eleventh home run this season to cut the deficit down to two – the smallest deficit since the first inning. Stockton added another run later that frame to give Maryland a chance in the final frame.
But Maryland was unable to complete the comeback as the top of its lineup was retired in order. The Terps will look to snap their losing streak in the second game of the series on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
