Maryland baseball walked off by George Mason, 11-10, ending season in NCAA regional

Brett Stallings stepped up to the plate for George Mason in the ninth inning of a tie ballgame against Maryland baseball. The bases were loaded with no outs in a win-or-go-home game in the Winston-Salem regional.

It had been a back-and-forth affair between the Terps and the Patriots with a trip to the regional final against Wake Forest on the line. 

On the third pitch of the at-bat, Stallings flew out to right field with a runner tagging from third. Matt Woods’ throw to home didn’t make it in time, as Jordan Smith touched the plate safely and No. 4-seed George Mason celebrated on the field, ending No. 2-seed Maryland’s season in an 11-10 loss. 

“We just weren’t good enough the last two days to get to keep playing,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “It’s a tough, tough thing when it ends but I love this group a lot.”

It is the third straight exit in the NCAA regional for Maryland under Vaughn. The Terps have not advanced to the super regionals since 2015 under coach John Szefk. 

It will be the end of an era for the current group of leaders in the clubhouse, as Matt Shaw, Nick Lorusso, Luke Shliger and others are expected to depart for the MLB Draft. 

“The biggest thing going forward is these young guys were around a bunch of great older guys,” Shliger said. “And for the young guys in the dugout, I think it’s just building that identity, how we play, who we are, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job with that these past three years building that.”

As was the tale for the majority of the season, Maryland’s offense hung runs onto the board, but the pitching struggled mightily. 

The Patriots opened the game with a three-run first inning. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren struggled in his start for the Terps, recording only two outs as George Mason gained a three-run advantage in the opening inning. 

“It’s pretty clear there in the first it just wasn’t what we needed right there. And, you know, obviously that puts us in a little bit of a tough situation when you gotta [pull your] starter in the first,” Vaughn said. 

Sophomore left-hander Andrew Johnson came in and recorded the final out, retiring the first eight batters he faced, giving the Maryland offense breathing room while they went on to score eight unanswered runs. 

The surge started with a five-run third inning, quickly erasing a three-run deficit. The Terps scored three runs with their first three batters after home runs from junior second baseman Kevin Keister and junior shortstop Matt Shaw, Shaw’s being a two-run blast. Sophomore centefielder Elijah Lambros then gave the Terps their first lead of the game with a two-RBI single up the middle, taking a commanding 5-3 lead. 

The hot bats continued in the fourth inning when Maryland added three more runs. Senior third baseman Nick Lorusso doubled to right-center field to drive in a run, while sophomore first baseman Eddie Hacopian brought home two more runners with a single down the left field line.

The Maryland lead was shortlived, however, as the Patriots posted a seven run inning in the fourth, all with two outs. Sophomore catcher Connor Dykstra capped the scoring with a three-run go-ahead homer in the left-center, his ninth of the year, off of redshirt sophomore right-hander Nigel Belgrave. Johnson offered three crucial innings out of the bullpen but ran out of gas in the fourth, walking four Patriots and giving up two runs.   

Once again, the Maryland offense had a response to the Patriot run, as fifth-year right fielder Matt Woods blasted a two-run home run into left center to tie the game at ten in the top of the sixth inning. 

The Patriots had a prime opportunity to retake the lead in the seventh inning. Sophomore left fielder Alex Knapp sent a double into deep left center with sophomore first baseman Reece Woody racing home. But the Maryland defense perfectly executed the relay, as Shaw’s toss from shallow center beat Knapp home for the final out of the inning. 

Maryland then had the chance to take a crucial lead in the top of the ninth inning with the bases loaded to secure a go-ahead road. The Terps could not capitalize, however, as Shaw grounded out to end the inning. It proved fatal for Maryland as George Mason scored the game-winning run in the following frame, ending its season in heartbreaking fashion.

“At some point your season ends, and your time with some of these guys … comes to a close, but you never expect it to happen,” Vaughn said. “[They] really laid the foundation for what this program is all about … They’ve rewritten the record books, in every way, shape, and form.”