Photo by Ian Cox/Maryland Terrapins
With two outs and a 2-2 count in the bottom of the ninth, third baseman Will Moore needed to put the ball in play to drive home second baseman Tyler Cerny from third.
Moore did just that, sending a looping line drive into left field to complete Indiana’s comeback.
Moore’s RBI was the last of six runs Maryland’s (17-22, 4-12 Big Ten) bullpen surrendered in the final two frames as the Terps fell 7-6 to Indiana (21-17, 11-8 Big Ten) on Friday in Bloomington, Ind.
In Maryland baseball’s last Friday game, redshirt sophomore Kyle McCoy pitched seven innings, only for the Terps’ bullpen to falter in the final innings. Friday’s outing against Indiana was no different.
After allowing the first two batters to reach, McCoy exited the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Terps brought in senior Andrew Johnson in relief, but the left-hander struggled, recording just one out.
Designated hitter Hogan Denny started the Hoosiers’ comeback by smacking a two-run single. Fellow freshman Cooper Malamazian followed by launching a two-run home run, putting his team within a run.
The final run of the eighth inning came because of an error by junior Brayden Martin, evening the game at six. The error was uncharacteristic of Martin, who entered the game with only one error all year.
The five-run inning gave the Hoosiers momentum heading into the final inning, allowing them to secure a comeback win.
“Even though the majority of his starts are the ones that have kind of been the toughest, [if] you just turn some of those it’s like a completely different season or even within the Big Ten [play],” head coach Matt Swope said. “But the game doesn’t owe you anything, it doesn’t owe you any favors, and nobody is going to feel bad for you.”
McCoy has been Maryland’s ace all year long following his return from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him last year. He entered the game with a 3.06 ERA through 53.0 innings pitched — both team highs.
In McCoy’s prior start, he pitched seven innings against a then-No. 15 Oregon squad. His opponent did not get much easier in Friday’s contest, facing an Indiana team that entered the game leading the Big Ten in hits and RBIs.
McCoy followed by throwing a second straight seven-inning outing, throwing a career high 110 pitches and striking out eight.
The left-hander attacked the Hoosiers’ batters by pounding the strike zone. McCoy threw 79 of his pitches for strikes, allowing him to work quickly and efficiently. McCoy induced several first-pitch outs throughout his outing and had just 16 pitches through his first two innings.
McCoy was superb against Indiana’s top-hitter Devin Taylor. The junior entered the game, leading his team with a .365 batting average and needing one home run to break the Hoosiers’ all-time home run record. But Taylor struggled in the left-on-left matchup, striking out in three of his four at-bats.
When Indiana’s offense made strong contact against McCoy, Maryland’s defense kept Indiana off the base paths. Diving catches by outfielders Elijah Lambros and Liam Wilson limited the Hoosiers to just one run through seven innings.
While Maryland’s offense started fast because of first baseman Eddie Hacopian’s grand slam in the second inning, the Terps’ offense was sluggish afterwards. Maryland recorded just two runs in the final seven innings, with the final run coming in the seventh inning on an RBI double by catcher Alex Calarco.
The loss keeps the Terps outside the Big Ten playoff picture, and they need to finish within the top 12 teams to qualify for the tournament. Maryland now looks to convert a reverse sweep against the Hoosiers in hopes of its first Big Ten series win all season.
“All we can do is come out and try and stack these days together and come out and stay positive and compete again tomorrow,” Swope said.
