Photo courtesy of Grayson Belanger/Maryland Athletics.
Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. Down by one. Bases loaded. The dream scenario of any baseball player growing up – and a dream come true for Paul Jones II on Tuesday, when he beamed a ball past the shortstop to walk it off for Maryland.
“That’s everything you ever dream for as a kid in the backyard,” said Jones II. “Just waiting for a big moment and ultimately being able to come through is awesome for the team. Hopefully we can use it going forward.”
The Terps (4-4, 0-0 B1G) survived Delaware (1-7, 0-0 CUSA) with a walk-off single, winning 15-14 in a back-and-forth game that saw only two scoreless innings.
Landon Edwards got the start on the mound for Maryland. He pitched three innings against Georgetown, allowing two earned runs and striking out three.
Edwards started his night against the Blue Hens with a clean frame, sending the first three hitters back to the dugout.
Freshman pitcher Chase Deibler got his first collegiate start for Delaware. He walked Brayden Martin to start the inning, who got into scoring position after stealing his team-leading fifth base of the season. David Mendez got Martin home with a single, hitting his fourth RBI of the season and giving the Terps a 1-0 lead.
Delaware responded quickly with a homer from LT Cockrill. Edwards then walked three batters to load the bases, but was able to get out of the jam with his second strikeout of the game.
Maryland took the lead back on a double from Jackson Sirois, which sent Rylen Stockton across home plate. A wild pitch allowed Sirois to score, extending the lead to 3-1.
Edwards walked three straight to start the third inning. Coach Matt Swope had seen enough, calling to the bullpen for junior Brayden Ryan, who took the mound with the bases loaded and no outs.
The Blue Hens got one across after a high throw toward home, drawing within one run. Ryan hit a batter to reload the bases – then Delaware outfielder Noah Burroughs hit a grand slam, giving them a 6-3 lead.
The Terps bats quickly cut into that lead. Mendez reached, then stole his fourth base of the season to get to second. Back-to-back doubles from Stockton and Antonio Morales brought the Delaware lead down to 6-5.
Two straight walks loaded the bases for the Terps, and Ty Kaunas knocked one off the wall to score three, giving Maryland the 8-6 lead. Ryan Costello joined the action, roping an RBI double to put the Terps up three.
This was one of many instances where Maryland had an answer for Delaware offensively.
“If we didn’t have great character, even after the (top of the) third inning you could start to hang your head a little bit but these guys just came right back,” said Swope. “Got to give credit to this group for sticking together. It was a great comeback win.”
Evan Bouldin started off the fourth with a solo home run for the Hens to bring it to a 9-7 game, but Jones II matched it with one of his own to lead off the bottom of the fourth, getting the Terps to double digits.
Freshman outfielder Bud Coombs tattooed a ball over the left field wall – the first of his collegiate career – to add two more runs to the board.
Joseph Fredericks took the mound for Maryland going into the fifth. Delaware loaded the bases with one out, but Kaunas generated a double play, stepping on second and throwing to first to end the threat.
Delaware struck in the seventh, with a solo shot from Vincent Davis to cut the lead to 12-8.
Maryland answered with Stockton’s third hit of the day – an RBI single – extending the lead to 13-8.
Junior Andrew Koshy took the mound for the Terps in the seventh after an apparent injury to Freshman Case Gibbs. After giving up the solo homer, Koshy shut down the Hens, blanking Delaware in the eighth.
The Blue Hens surged in the ninth inning, scoring two before Koshy was pulled for Jayson Torres. Burroughs came up to the plate with his second opportunity for a grand slam and capitalized, knocking it over the wall and giving Delaware a 14-13 lead.
Two walks to lead off the bottom of the ninth put the winning run on first base for the Terps. A fielder’s choice kept Maryland with runners at first and second, and a Kaunas strikeout brought the Terps down to their last out.
Costello stepped into the box with the game on the line. He hit a ball into the gap in right center to score one, tying the game 14-14.
After another walk to load the bases. Jones II stepped up to the plate and lined a ball through the shortstop to walk it off for the Terps, 15-14.
Maryland has their first home series of the season as they host the Wagner Seahawks over the weekend. First pitch of Friday is scheduled for 4 p.m.
