After scoring a season-high 12 runs against UMBC Tuesday, Maryland baseball’s offense reached that total after just three innings Friday night against Maine.
The Terps slugged five home runs through the first three frames, including three in an eight-run third inning outburst.
A pair of Nick Lorusso and Matt Shaw back-to-back homers and an Elijah Lambros grand slam did the majority of the damage, but Maryland’s (6-7) entire offense hummed to the tune of 19 total hits, defeating Maine (3-7), 25-10.
“We just did a good job staying over the middle of the plate,” Lorusso said. “Obviously, some of the times in this park we play big, sometimes we can play small, and tonight I just think we got the better of it.”
The game in College Park, originally scheduled for a 4 p.m. start, was pushed back to 7 p.m. after a lengthy rain delay.
But the delay didn’t seem to bother Maryland’s bats, who came out firing early.
Lorusso got under a ball before sending it deep over the fence in left. Shaw quickly doubled down with a solo shot to right-center, displaying his opposite-field power. The Terps’ impressive power was on display early and it never seemed to stop.
Junior right-hander Jason Savacool didn’t seem to lose any rhythm either, locating pitches and striking out two through the first two innings. Maine’s usual electric offense, which currently leads the America East in multiple statistical categories, couldn’t produce much hard contact off Savacool all night.
“[Savacool] did a great job coming out and attacking the strike zone and setting the tone early, and we respond[ed] offensively,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “But Jason was really good today.”
Maryland tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the second.
After a Matt Woods single up the middle and an Eddie Hacopian walk, Lambros scored Woods from third with a groundout to shortstop. Hacopian then scored from third on a wild pitch that Maine junior catcher Colby Emmertz couldn’t corral, extending Maryland’s lead to four.
As Savacool continued to shove, the Terps’ offense continued to dominate — and their lead tripled in the third to blow the gates open.
Maryland put together an eight-run third inning, including three home runs –– two more by Lorusso and Shaw, and a grand slam from Lambros –– to make the score 12-0 after three innings of play.
The Terps continued to add runs in the fourth, collecting three more runs on three hits to grow their lead to 15 heading into the fifth.
While Maryland’s offense will understandably get the headlines, Savacool’s performance shouldn’t be pushed to the side, either. The Terps’ ace put together arguably his best start of the young season, finishing with six frames of no-run ball, allowing just two hits and striking out six as his offense gave him a cushion and then some on the mound.
“He had a great start,” Vaughn said. “I mean shoot, he got out there and was able to hang zeroes up every time we scored, and got us into the six with a big lead. That’s what your Friday night guy’s supposed to do.”
This offensive performance was undeniably the best of the season for Maryland, crushing its single-game run total this season and reaching a number it only eclipsed one time last year.
“It was very good,” Lorusso said. “We haven’t exploded like we did tonight previously in the year, so getting to do that tonight really is something special and something that we can continue to do all year.”
Savacool was replaced by sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren to begin the seventh inning. Despite allowing one run to score, Van Buren pitched a solid seventh and brought the Terps’ bats up one last time.
Multiple freshmen came in to pinch-hit in the bottom of the seventh. Outfielder Luke Zeisloft knocked in a run and catcher James Heffley scored two as the Terps put up four more runs.
With the Terps up big and the game out of hand, Vaughn chose to give young pitchers some run late.
Freshman right-hander Joey Colucci made his collegiate debut in the eighth inning, surrendering four runs in two thirds of an inning before being replaced by left-hander Travis Garnett. The 6-foot-6 sophomore only threw seven of his 19 pitches for strikes and was replaced by sophomore left-hander Andrew Johnson.
Johnson got out of the inning after allowing Maine to total eight runs in the eighth. Maryland responded with four more in the bottom half of the eighth, including a Jacob Orr RBI double that was ripped down the left-field line.
The 25 runs scored was Maryland’s highest total of the last two seasons outside of a 26-run performance against Towson on March 29, 2022.
11 Terps notched a hit and six finished with multi-RBI showings, led by Lambros’ seven — by far a season-high. It was an all-around beatdown to open the three-game series against the Black Bears, and Maryland will look to keep its bats rolling on Saturday.
“When I walked out and I saw the flags not blowing straight in, I felt pretty good about that,” Vaughn said. “To come out here and, you know, hit two homers in the first and kind of get some breathing room. It was just kind of off to the races from there.”
