No. 13 Maryland baseball ties series at one with 8-1 victory over USF

Leading off the seventh inning, the Terps recorded a pair of walks by outfielders Bobby Zmarzlak and Elijah Lambros. After a Luke Shliger groundout, an intentional walk of shortstop Matt Shaw loaded the bases, setting the stage for third baseman Nick Lorusso. 

On the second pitch of the at bat, the 6-foot-2 senior rocketed the ball into deep left field for a grand slam, putting the Terps ahead 7-0 in their first win of the season.

“We’ve got one of the best RBI guys in the country in [Nick Lorusso],” coach Rob Vaughn said. You don’t keep [Lorusso] down for very long and he got a good pitch and didn’t miss it.

No. 13 Maryland baseball cruised over the final few innings, defeating USF 8-1 for its first win of the season.

For the second game in a row, the top of the lineup for the Terps started slow. 

Shliger grounded out on the first pitch of the game before Shaw flied out to left. USF left-hander Nolan Hudi completed the inning with a strikeout of Lorusso on just six pitches. 

The top of the Terps’ lineup struggled in their first game against the Bulls, as the first three batters did not reach base once in 13 combined at bats. 

The pitching remained in control during the bottom of the first, with senior right-hander Nick Dean forcing three straight fly outs from the Bulls to close out the inning. 

“He was simply, excuse me, simply unbelievable today; threw the ball well, mixed pitches out of the strike zone, and gave up one hit,” Vaughn said. “I mean, it’s about as good as it gets for the first start of the year for him.”

Sophomore DH Ian Petrutz started the second with a groundout before sophomore first baseman Eddie Hacopian recorded the first hit of the game in the top of the second, bunting a single to third base and beating the throw. But on the next at bat, USF completed the double play on a ground ball from junior second baseman Kevin Keister to close the inning. 

On the first pitch of the bottom of the second, sophomore shortstop Bobby Boser drilled an offspeed pitch from Dean into the outfield to record the first hit for USF. Dean made up for the hit the next two at bats, striking out infielders Travis Sankovich and Eric Snow consecutively. Boser stole second, putting the Bulls in scoring position before Dean struck out sophomore outfielder Jackson Mayo.

The Terps bats got hot early in the third, as sophomore outfielder Jacob Orr reached first base on his first at bat and Zmarzlak got hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Lambros capitalized on the opportunity, singling to the left to send Orr home.

Shliger grounded into a double play the next at bat, leaving Zmarzlak on third for Shaw. Shaw then crushed a ball into left field for his first hit of the series, bringing Zmarzlak home and the Terps ahead 2-0. USF escaped the inning in the next at bat after Lorusso got thrown out at first. 

Dean continued his dominance in third, striking out both freshman DH Matt Rose and junior outfielder Drew Brutcher looking before catching redshirt junior first baseman Daniel Cantu swinging for his third strikeout of the inning. 

Petrutz started the inning for the Terps with a pop fly out to first base, and Hacopian followed by striking out on a 1-2 fastball by Hudi. Hudi then closed the inning with another strikeout, this time punishing Kiester for swinging on a slider. 

Dean again began the fourth inning striking out another batter, sending down outfielder Marcus Brodil swinging before a pair of groundouts by Boser and Sankovich, keeping the Maryland lead at two. 

After a strikeout by Orr, Zmarzlak began the fifth inning for the Terps with a triple into right center. Lambros followed with a single to third, which was initially called a double play before being overturned by video review. Zmarzlak reached home after a wild pitch by Hudi, increasing the Terps lead to three. 

Hudi was pulled after a Shliger groundout, with freshman left-hander Justin Jackson finishing the inning with a fly out by Shaw.

Dean stayed scoreless again in the fifth, allowing only one walk with no hits. 

Dean finished the game with eight strikeouts. 

“You hand him the baseball and he’s gonna pound the strike zone and give you a chance to win games,” Vaugh said. “That’s when he’s utterly dominant, which he was able to do today.”

Freshman right-hander Austin Newton entered the game in the seventh to replace Jackson after 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. His reign wasn’t too long however, getting replaced by junior left-hander Caleb Pundsack after walking his first two batters. Shaw was intentionally walked, leading to loaded bases for Lorusso’s grand slam, putting the Terps ahead 7-0. 

The Bulls finally got onto the board in the seventh inning after an RBI double by outfielder Pablo Ruiz, sending Boser home at the end of the inning. 

Hacopian extended the lead to 8-1 in the ninth with an RBI groundout, sending Shaw home. Shaw finished the game with two runs and an RBI.  

USF failed to register another run as Maryland defeated the Bulls 8-1, tying the series at one.