After scoring four in the top of the ninth inning to go up 10-9, Maryland’s pitching allowed Delaware to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame, sending the Terps to their first extra inning game of the season.
After Elijah Lambros led off the top of the tenth with a hit-by-pitch, Luke Shliger drove him home on an RBI double down the left field line.
Jacob Orr added an insurance run on an RBI single up the middle, giving the Terps’ arms a two-run cushion in the bottom half of the frame.
David Falco Jr. retired the Blue Hens in order, giving Maryland baseball (9-7) a thrilling Wednesday victory over Delaware (6-10), 13-11.
“The way we finished the game was outstanding, I thought we had really competitive at bats, I thought we had some energy,” coach Rob Vaughn said, “…this group was tough enough to find a way to do it.”
Maryland and Delaware met Feb. 28 at ‘The Bob,’ a meeting the Terps won comfortably, 8-3. Like the first matchup, the Terps striked first — but the rest of the game unfolded differently in the rematch.
Two walks and a single from the Terps’ first three hitters brought sophomore designated hitter Ian Petrutz — who entered with two grand slams already this season — to the plate with the bases loaded. He didn’t send one over the yard, but he did drive home two on a single up the middle. Junior second baseman Kevin Keister followed with an RBI single of his own to give Maryland an early 3-0 lead.
But Delaware responded with a five-spot in the bottom of the frame.
Singles from redshirt senior second baseman Dan Covino, redshirt juniors Bryce Greenly and Joey Loynd, and sophomore left fielder Andre Amato — in addition to two fielder’s choices, two errors and one hit-by-pitch — resulted in a big inning for the Blue Hens.
Fifth-year right-hander Kenny Lippman entered with a 4.05 ERA in 6.2 innings of relief, but struggled in the first inning of his first start of the season.
Both starters — Lippman and Delaware redshirt junior right-hander Nate Rolka — lasted just one inning as each side went to its bullpen early.
Fifth year right fielder Matt Woods blasted his second home run in a Maryland uniform with a solo shot over the right field fence in the top of the third, bringing Maryland within one, 5-4.
Senior third baseman Nick Lorusso hit a three-run blast over the right field fence in the next inning — his eighth home run of the season — put Maryland back in front, 7-5. Lorusso extended his hitting streak to 15 games against the Blue Hens, the longest active streak for a Terps hitter.
Junior left-hander Logan Ott was in a groove in his first few innings of relief, as he faced just one above the minimum between the second and fourth innings, allowing just two singles in the process.
But a four-run explosion in the bottom of the fifth gave Delaware the lead shortly after Lorusso’s blast. Loynd got the scoring started in the inning with an RBI single down the left field line, and RBI extra-base hits from redshirt junior Jake Dunion and Amato added on to Loynd’s damage in the frame.
Amato’s two-run blast was the capper, making it a nightmare of an inning for the Terps. Ott allowed all four runs but just one was earned; a botched pickoff attempt with two outs would’ve ended the inning with just one run in, but the extended frame allowed for an extra three Blue Hens to cross home plate.
Ott’s day was done after the fifth as he was replaced on the mound by Tommy Kane.
After retiring the Blue Hens one-two-three in the sixth, the junior left-hander got into trouble in the seventh. He allowed a leadoff triple to Greenly but followed that up with back-to-back strikeouts and a fly out, keeping Maryland’s deficit at two entering the eighth.
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Nigel Belgrave relieved Kane in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a sac-fly to redshirt junior catcher Gabe Dermott, extending Delaware’s lead to 10-7 entering the ninth.
Up three in the top of the ninth, Dan Frake entered to pitch with the bases loaded. The redshirt senior right-hander relieved junior right-hander Wyatt Nelson, who fired 7.1 innings after taking over for Rolka.
The frame was a disaster for Frake, as he allowed three inherited runners to score — in addition to a fourth charged to him — as Maryland took the lead, 11-10.
“It’s a testament to our lineup, how deep it is,” Shliger said about the four-run inning.
Belgrave allowed a runner to score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, extending the game to the tenth.
RBIs from Shliger and Orr gave Maryland a 13-11 lead in the top of the tenth.
Falco entered in relief of Belgrave and shut down Delaware without a hitch, clinching a wild win for the Terps.
“I’m proud of our guys, I’m proud of the fight,” Vaughn said. “It’s time for us to go home and have a good day of work tomorrow, and come out and play a really good brand of baseball this weekend.”
