Maryland baseball tops Portland in back-and-forth battle, 7-6, secures series win

Maryland baseball’s weekend series finale with Portland featured a back-and-forth battle as leads evaporated three different times. 

The Terps’ two-run lead was diminished at the end of the fifth inning. Portland’s advantage went away in the top of the sixth. The Pilots regained a lead by the seventh frame. Then Maryland’s bats had one last spurt in them.

The Terps responded with four runs in the eighth to go ahead. They carried that lead the rest of the way, narrowly defeating Portland in Oregon on Sunday, 7-6. The win clinched the series victory for Maryland (15-5).

It appeared the Pilots (10-7) would fight back in the ninth after a base hit brought them to within one with two outs, but they were unable to complete the comeback.

Lafayette transfer Alex Walsh pitched the final two innings for the Terps to secure his second save this season. Walsh’s save moved Maryland to 5-0 this year in its weekend series and marked the second consecutive series where the Terps won their final two games to take the series.

“No matter what the situation is, even if we don’t play great or play clean, these guys pull for each other…and there’s something to be said for finding a way to win,” coach Matt Swope said.

Maryland wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in Saturday’s game, scoring just three batters in. The Terps struck even quicker on Sunday. 

Chris Hacopian blasted the game’s second pitch over the field fence to give Maryland an early 1-0 lead. The home run was Hacopian’s fifth on the year and marked the third time out of the Terps’ four one-team series that he’s crushed at least one home run in the series.

“I was just getting good pitches to hit,” Hacopian said. “I was just trying to be aggressive and hunt [the] damage zone.”

Maryland continued to grow its advantage in the following inning. Jacob Orr picked up right where he left off from game two of the series — when he had a three-hit, four-RBI day — scoring his fifth RBI in six at-bats on a double down the first base line. 

“When I recruited Jacob Orr…he was a hit machine,” Swope said. “He was always on base, he was pesky, he was hard to get out, and we’ve been waiting for him to take that next step.”

Portland starter Carter Gaston settled into the game after the second inning. Gaston allowed just three hits over his next three frames after allowing three hits through his first two innings to keep the Terps from scoring further.

Maryland’s bats responded when Gaston was relieved to start the sixth inning. Sam Hojnar blasted the Terps’ second solo homerun over the center field fence as the first Maryland hitter against the Pilots’ bullpen.

The Terps failed to take advantage of a scoring chance in the seventh frame, unable to score with two runners on. But Maryland did so the following inning. 

Elijah Lambros tied the game with a bases-loaded, two-run double to left field. An Eddie Hacopian bunt single down the third base line pushed the Terps ahead 6-5. Then a Hojnar hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded grew the advantage to a two-run lead — Maryland held onto that advantage over the rest of the game.

Joey McMannis pitched well for the Terps, throwing a season-best five innings on the mound as their starter, allowing three runs on two hits. He held Portland to no hits through the first four innings, but free passes hurt the freshman — two of the three Pilots that scored against him came after reaching base via a walk.

Portland initially broke through on McMannis as the result of a leadoff free pass in the bottom of the fourth to Brady Bean, who scored two at bats later on a Zach Toglia sacrifice fly to right field. 

Another walk to start the fifth inning to Jack Thomson, and the Pilots’ first hit of the day, eventually allowed Jake Holcroft to hit a high chopper over the head of Eddie Hacopian for a two-run knock to give the Pilots their first lead of the game.

Portland’s lead was blown after Hojnar’s home run. But the Pilots quickly went back in front as Ben Patacsil launched his second long ball this season on a line drive shot over the right field fence, giving Portland a 5-3 advantage.

But after their pitching gave the Terps the lead, the Pilots’ offense only mustered one run the rest of the game en route to the loss.