Maryland escapes with 4-3 over Rutgers behind an Omar Melendez gem

Photo courtesy of Rose Fernandes/Maryland Athletics

Maryland headed into the ninth inning, clinging to a one-run lead with Kenny Lippman on the mound. The former starting pitcher was moved to the bullpen in mid-April, but Lippman sought to take advantage of his new role and grab his second save of the season.

He did just that, making light work of Rutgers’ lineup, striking out two of the final three batters to close out the final frame.

Maryland scored in just one inning, but it was enough to edge out Rutgers (25-20, 3-13 Big Ten) 4-3 in a crucial Big Ten matchup in Piscataway, New Jersey on Friday.

The Terps (30-17, 9-10 Big Ten) entered the matchup outside the Big Ten playoff picture behind Ohio State and Michigan State. Both schools hold 7-8 conference records but have nine conference games remaining as opposed to Maryland’s six, making each of its conference games more important.

Logan Koester made the prior two Friday starts for Maryland, but coach Matt Swope elected to grant Omar Melendez his first Friday start as a Terp instead. Melendez had made the prior two Saturday starts, showing mixed success.

“We haven’t had a lot of consistency over the past month and a half from [starters],” Swope said on his decision to move Melendez to Friday. “His change up is elite. He can keep guys off-balance, and he’s super frustrating at times to deal with.”

His start on Apr. 20 against Nebraska was excellent, allowing two runs through six innings and keeping the offense off-balance all game. But his latest start against Illinois on Apr. 27 was less successful, surrendering seven hits and five runs through just 2.2 innings.

Rutgers entered the contest with 74 stolen bases, and an early stolen base put a man in scoring position. The stolen base was aided by an errant throw, allowing Ty Doucette to drive in the game’s first run on a looping base hit to left field.

Following the early run, Melendez settled into the game, pitching a season-high 6.2 innings and surrendering three runs on eight hits. He was exceptional in key situations and consistently got Maryland out of jams by inducing weak contact and striking out five batters.

“I feel like the mixing of the pitches and attacking the zone with the fastball and mixing in my breaking ball was really good today,” Melendez said on his performance.

After five scoreless innings, the Scarlet Knights used their speed on the base paths to steal two more bases and put two men in scoring position. That allowed Doucette to grab his third RBI of the game on a two-run double down the left field line, cutting Maryland’s lead to 4-3.

The Scarlet Knights started Friday’s game leading the Big Ten in fielding, and they showcased that defense early. Throughout the game, the defense routinely made terrific plays, taking away bases from a Maryland offense that scored 33 runs over its prior three games.

Maryland had just three hits entering the sixth inning until a two-run double down the third base line by Eddie Hacopian gave a 2-1 advantage.

“I thought we had some good at-bats early and hit some balls hard,” Swope said. “I felt like [the sixth inning] was the time for Eddie [Hacopian]…and the top of our lineup to do some damage.”

Along with spectacular defense, Rutgers’ starter — Justin Sinibaldi — had been terrific, getting Maryland to make weak contact early in counts. However, after Hacopian’s double, Sinibaldi immediately motioned towards the dugout for the trainer and was removed from the game. Despite the injury, he still went five-plus innings, surrendering three runs on five hits.

Maryland’s offense took advantage of the injury to expand its lead, using a ground out and a sacrifice fly ball to take a 4-1 lead.

But the Terps were unable to seize the momentum as nine of its next ten batters were retired. Maryland will look to secure the weekend series on Saturday at noon.