Eddie Hacopian — after working a 3-1 count — took a strike to work things full.
In a bases-loaded at-bat down seven runs in the bottom of the seventh, Hacopian must’ve felt the magnitude of the situation with the Terps’ remaining outs dwindling at the plate. The junior swung and missed at the sixth pitch of the at-bat, taking the slow trot back to the dugout as the Terps ended the inning in the same spot they started.
While just one moment, it was one that encapsulated the offensive struggles of coach Rob Vaughn’s club all night. It was the seventh strikeout by a Terp batter and the third of the inning as they continually flailed at the William & Mary pitching.
Lethargic hitting and inconsistent pitching doomed Maryland baseball on Tuesday against the Tribe. The Terps failed to score a run after the second inning, handing them their first midweek loss in nearly two months in a 13-3 beatdown.
“Just wish we’d done a little bit of a better job in the middle giving ourselves a chance,” Vaughn said. “We just weren’t good enough.”
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren got the starting nod for the first time since the Terps’ home opener Feb. 21. He struggled in that start, allowing four earned runs in 0.2 innings, and had been relegated to a bullpen role since.
But Van Buren got off to a better start on Tuesday, inducing two flyouts and a groundout in the top of the first inning. He even produced a few swings and misses, despite allowing a bunch of hard-hit balls in the frame.
That trend continued in the second when the Tribe put together three runs on three hits, putting Van Buren’s pitch count at 41. A quick mound visit calmed the sophomore down as he struck out senior center fielder Joe Delossantos to work out of the inning.
“I thought Ryan did some decent things today, but obviously trying to get a little bit more length, a little bit more efficient,” Vaughn said. “But we didn’t help him behind him defensively at all.”
While Van Buren endured early struggles, the Maryland offense quickly got things going against graduate student right-hander Brian Craven. The Tribe sidearmer allowed an early double to senior third baseman Nick Lorusso –– extending his hit streak to 27 games. Junior shortstop Matt Shaw then brought Lorusso home with a single through the left side to put his team on the board.
Craven’s outing didn’t last long, as freshman right-hander Owen Pierce quickly came in to pitch the second. The Terps knocked in two runs courtesy of sophomore center fielder Elijah Lambros and junior catcher Luke Shliger, evening things at three apiece.
Things held firm until the top of the fourth, when the Tribe once again got the best of Van Buren. A one-out single set the stage for an inside-the-park home run by senior catcher Max Winters.
But the focus after the play was on fifth-year right fielder Matt Woods, who collided with the right field wall and was down after the hit –– leading to the inside-the-park dash. Woods walked off the field under his own power after receiving a visit from the trainer, but did not return to action.
Van Buren was replaced by Logan Ott after the two runs scored. He immediately allowed a solo shot to Delossantos before inducing a flyout to end the frame, making the score 6-3 in favor of the Tribe.
Ott continued to labor in the sixth after a strong fifth frame. He allowed a leadoff solo homer and later a single before an inning-ending double play. The junior left-hander struggled to command the strike zone, working late into counts and ballooning his pitch count up to 52 after 2.1 innings.
Ott came out for the seventh but walked a batter and allowed a single, leading to Vaughn placing right-hander Joey Colucci on the mound.
Colucci ran into more of the same issues, allowing both inherited runners to score on a single. The freshman then walked two straight batters to bring in another run, extending the Tribe’s lead to 10-3.
“Ideally you want to protect him a little bit,” Vaughn said. “Like, you don’t want to bring him into the fire, but he came in there because we trusted him in that spot.”
Freshman right-hander Wagner Morrissette then got a crack at things, taking the mound with the bases loaded and just one out. He induced a double-play facing his first batter of the game, escaping the jam.
Three Terps struck out in the bottom of the seventh despite loading the bases as their offensive struggles continued.
Morrissette and freshman right-hander Eli Stowe then combined for six eighth-inning walks, extending the Tribe’s lead, 12-3.
In the top of the ninth, the Terps made another mid-inning pitching change as one more run scored, making the Tribe’s final run tally 13.
By the end of the night, Maryland suffered its worst defeat of the season.
The Terps will look to reset before a pivotal home Big Ten matchup this weekend against Rutgers.
