Maryland baseball’s offense explodes in 24-11 obliteration of UMBC

Maryland baseball — after already defeating UMBC last month — looked to sweep its season series against the Retrievers on Tuesday.

By the end of the second inning, it seemed the Terps did just that.

Luke Shliger launched a grand slam into right field on the fourth pitch of his third plate appearance in the second, putting his club ahead by 18. The four-run homer gave the Terps their 17th run of the inning, a new program record.

“Quality at bat after quality at bat … that second inning was about as good of an inning as you could possibly have,” coach Rob Vaughn said.

The offensive explosion was more than enough for Maryland (26-15), as it obliterated UMBC (19-18), 24-11. 

The win improved the Terps to a perfect 11-0 when they notch double-digit runs.

Junior right-hander Nate Haberthier started for the Terps, allowing six runs, six hits and five walks in 4.2 innings.

“The fact that he was able to hang some zeros for us was huge … that’s not easy to do when you sit in the dugout for a half hour,” Vaughn said. “He did what we needed him to do.”

Junior left-hander Joe Pucek got the nod for the Retrievers, struggling mightily as he failed to record an out in the second inning. Pucek allowed 10 earned runs, allowing 10 hits and four extra-base knocks in the process.

The Terps got their offense started early. Three-straight base hits from Shliger, junior shortstop Matt Shaw and sophomore left fielder Ian Petrutz brought home two runs, giving Maryland a 2-0 lead just three batters in.

Third baseman Jacob Orr scored Petrutz four at bats later on an RBI single. The sophomore got the start after senior Nick Lorusso injured his hamstring in a 10-8 win over Purdue Sunday. Lorusso is the Big Ten leader in home runs with 15 so far this season, but his presence in Vaughn’s lineup wasn’t needed against the Retrievers.

UMBC followed a pair of runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a pair of RBI groundouts by senior center fielder Justin Taylor and freshman first baseman Leewood Molessa, making it a one-run game. 

The Terps responded with a record-breaking 17-run inning in the top of the second. Seven different players recorded hits, with nine hits total in the frame. Three different Terps hit home runs — a three-run blast into left center off the bat of junior second baseman Kevin Keister, a solo homer from freshman catcher Devin Russell, and a grand slam into right by Shliger. 

The home run was Russell’s first of the season in just his third start of the year. Russell started behind the plate for the Terps, giving Shliger a break in the DH spot. 

“He’s a guy that’s gonna catch a lot of innings for us as [Shliger] moves on and he’s gonna hit a lot of homers,” Vaughn said. “He’s got thunder in his bat.”

In total, the Maryland lineup went through the order two full times in the inning, with Shaw and Shliger receiving three plate appearances each. 

The Retrievers followed up with a quick 1-2-3 inning, unable to respond in any fashion. 

Maryland continued their scoring in the fifth after two scoreless frames. Sophomore first baseman Eddie Hacopian drilled an RBI single through the left side, bringing Shaw home for his fourth run of the game. Sophomore center fielder Elijah Lambros cracked a two- RBI double into left field two at bats later, extending Maryland’s lead to 23-2. 

The Retrievers added four runs in the fifth thanks to RBI singles from Molessa, senior third baseman Michael Cilio and Molessa and fifth-year left fielder Christian Easley, but another Keister home run to leadoff the top of the sixth got a run back for the Terps.

UMBC notched five more runs in the sixth but it wasn’t enough, as the game was called off at the end of the seventh inning.

“It’s hard to be critical when you hang up 24,” Vaughn said. “There was more out there tonight, we could’ve cashed in a few more late.”

Maryland will now shift its focus to Georgetown on Wednesday, where the schools will compete in the season series rubber match after splitting the previous two meetings.