Maryland drops crucial game for Big Ten playoff chance to Penn State

Photo courtesy of Dylan Davies/Maryland Athletics

Down three runs with one out in the sixth inning, Chris Hacopian skied a routine fly ball to the second baseman. But a miscommunication between coach Matt Swope and Devin Russell sent Russell home from third base, resulting in an inning-ending double play.

“He just mistook me for saying ‘tag, tag, tag’ and go instead of ‘yes, yes,’” Swope said. “I should have just been screaming ‘no.’”

The sixth inning was the final inning, where Maryland (34-20, 10-12 Big Ten) would score a run as the Terps fell 8-4 in a crucial game for their Big Ten playoff chances against Penn State in College Park.

Down three runs entering the sixth inning, Trystan Sarcone looked to stop Penn State’s offense, which had scored a run in each inning since the third frame. But Sarcone was unable to do so, as Adam Cecere demolished a towering three-run home run on an 0-2 pitch over the right-center field fence.

Penn State’s (24-23, 10-12) home run proved too much for Maryland to overcome as the Terps dropped a crucial game for their Big Ten playoff chances 8-4 in College Park.

With the win, Penn State passes Maryland in the standings and may find itself outside the Big Ten playoff picture depending on the performance of Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State.

After a season-best seven innings pitched, Omar Melendez looked to repeat his success from last weekend in the most crucial start of his season. But he couldn’t find the same success on Thursday, as the Nittany Lions took him into numerous deep counts and put a man in scoring position in all four innings.

But Melendez was stingy with runners in scoring position, surrendering just two runs despite putting eight runners on base through four innings.

“[I] didn’t think [Melendez] did a bad job,” Swope said. “I thought he worked out of some jams and was pretty good.”

Maryland had an opportunity to break the scoreless tie in the second inning but couldn’t capitalize with the bases loaded. Penn State then wasted no time grabbing the game’s first run as nine-hitter Kevin Michaels ripped a hooking line drive over the left field fence.

Michaels continued to dissect the Maryland pitching staff in the following inning when a ground ball through the left side of the infield broke another tie, giving Penn State a one-run advantage. He entered the game batting just .222 on the season, but the grad student tormented the Terps pitching staff, going 3-4 at the plate and driving in two RBIs.

Maryland brought in Kenny Lippman to start the fifth inning, but the new pitcher could not stop Penn State’s offense as a base hit from Bryce Molinaro and a sacrifice fly by Bobby Marsh gave the Nittany Lions a 4-1 advantage.

In the sixth inning, Penn State blew the game wide open with a towering three-run blast, and despite the big offensive output, Maryland kept J.T. Marr to just one hit. Marr entered the game leading Penn State with a .418 batting average, but Maryland limited him to a 1-5 afternoon.

After Penn State broke the scoreless tie, Chris Hacopian gave Maryland an immediate answer, scorching his team-leading 15th home run of the season on the second pitch of the inning to even the score. The home run puts Hacopian within two runs of tying the Maryland freshman record.

Jacob Orr finally gave the Terps an answer after six straight Penn State runs with a blistering line drive over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 7-3. But the sixth-inning rally was not enough to overcome the deficit, as the Terps failed to score in the final three games.

The Terps will look to regroup in a do-or-die doubleheader on Friday. The first game starts at 1 p.m., and the second will start roughly 45 minutes after game one.