Maryland’s ninth-inning rally falls short in 7-4 loss to Illinois

Photo courtesy of Chris Lyons/Maryland Athletics

With a 2-0 count, relief pitcher Andrew Johnson had a chance to keep the game within reach in the sixth inning for the Terps. When Coltin Quagliano smashed a solo home run over the left-center field fence to give Illinois a five-run lead, that chance slipped away.

Maryland (26-17, 6-10 Big Ten) now risks dropping its fifth consecutive Big Ten series and a potential playoff bid.

“I didn’t think overall…we played well in all three phases,” coach Matt Swope said. “You’re not going to win Friday night games in conference when you don’t do those things.”

Backed by excellent pitching and timely hitting, Illinois cruises past Maryland 7-2 at Bob Turtle Smith Stadium in College Park on Friday night.

Illinois (25-13, 11-2 Big Ten) was led all evening by its starting pitcher — Jack Crowder. He entered Friday with a 5.02 ERA, but the high ERA didn’t matter as he dominated the Maryland lineup. He struck out five batters and was animated after each strikeout. The senior finished the game allowing just two runs on two hits through six innings pitched

The first two innings for Illinois followed the same pattern, starting with a lead-off double into left-center field driven in by the next batter. The pattern spotted the fighting Illini an early two-run lead.

Despite minimal damage in the first two innings, Maryland’s starter — Logan Koester — threw long innings and faced four full counts in the first two innings.

Illinois blew the game open in the fourth inning when Camden Janik’s second base hit into center field was a two-run base hit. Janik would later score in the inning on a passed ball, expanding the lead to 5-1.

Janik started his evening by reaching the 30 RBI mark and continued his strong performance all game. The junior catcher accounted for four of his team’s seven runs, finishing the game going 2-4 with three RBIs, and added a run of his own.

Koester’s struggles started early, allowing the first batter to work a full count after beginning in a 0-2 hole and then laced a double into the left-center field gap. While Illinois was pesky at the plate, Koester had trouble avoiding the barrel of the bat. He pitched just four innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs.

“We didn’t do a good job defensively,” Swope said. “[We] had a could errors, a missed cut, passed balls, stuff like that will come back to haunt you.”

Despite Crowder’s excellent pitching, Maryland struggled at the plate all game long, recording just three hits and eight base runners before the final frame. The offense struggled to make consistent contact against any Illinois pitcher, as the Terps struck out seven times.

Maryland attempted to replicate Illinois’ trend in the third inning. Alex Calarco started the inning with a lead-off double but was brought home on a groundout to shortstop.

A pair of two-out RBI base hits from Elijah Lambros and Eddie Hacopian lowered Maryland’s deficit to 7-4 and seemed to give the team life. But a groundout in the following at-bat halted the rally and prevented another Maryland comeback.

“I thought we did a better job in the eighth and ninth,” Swope said. “[But] overall offensively when you’re in these times, you just got to be tougher.”

Maryland will look to bounce back in game two and avoid dropping its fifth consecutive Big Ten series on Saturday. First pitch begins at 2 p.m.