No. 18 Maryland baseball falls to Hawaii, 9-3

Leading 6-3 early in the ninth, Jacob Igawa stepped up to the plate.

With one out and a runner on first, Igawa looked to tack on some insurance runs and cement the Rainbow Warriors’ victory. 

After taking the first pitch for a ball, Igawa unloaded the next over the fence in left-center, giving Hawaii a five-run lead. After a Maryland pitching change, Kyson Donahue delivered another home run into deep-center field to extend the lead to six. 

No. 18 Maryland baseball (4-7) fell to Hawaii (6-4), 9-3, in its final game of the Cambria College Classic, dropping all three games in a disappointing weekend. 

Maryland entered the weekend riding on offensive production, averaging 7.62 runs the previous eight games. But they struggled offensively against No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 7 Vanderbilt and Hawaii, averaging just 3.66 runs per game. 

The Rainbow Warriors started the scoring following two first-inning errors by the Terps.

Maryland junior right-hander Nate Haberthier walked sophomore designated hitter Ben Zeigler-Namoa to leadoff the inning. Following a failed pickoff attempt by Haberthier, Zeigler-Namoa advanced to third and reached home the next at-bat after a throwing error by junior shortstop Matt Shaw. 

The Terps responded with a pair of doubles in the bottom half of the first. After a strikeout by junior catcher Luke Shliger, Shaw dropped a double into left field. Senior third baseman Nick Lorusso proceeded with an RBI double of his own into left, tying the game at one. 

Lorusso entered the afternoon with a nine-game hitting streak, leading the team with 15 RBIs.

The Terps had a chance to extend the lead in the second after freshman left-hander Harrrison Bodendorf walked three straight batters with two outs. But Maryland could not take advantage as Bodendorf struck out Shaw to end the inning.

Maryland got back in scoring position with two outs and runners on second and third in the third, but Bodendorf struck out junior second baseman Kevin Keister as the Terps again stranded multiple runners. 

Bodendorf was replaced by Zeigler-Namoa, a two-way player, to begin the fourth. Bodendorf struggled to command his pitches in his start, walking six batters in three innings. 

The Rainbow Warriors regained the lead in the fourth with a pair of RBI singles. With two outs, junior second baseman Stone Miyao drove an RBI single to right to retake the lead. Senior catcher Dallas Duarte continued the scoring with an RBI single up the middle to extend Hawaii’s lead to two. 

The Terps continued to strand runners in the bottom half of the fourth. Following a leadoff double down the left field line off the bat of senior left fielder Bobby Zmarzlak, the Rainbow Warriors recorded three straight outs to end the inning.

Haberthier registered his second throwing error in the fifth, advancing freshman left fielder Matthew Miura to third following his leadoff double. Miura reached home a few at-bats later after a sacrifice fly by redshirt sophomore right fielder Jared Quandt.

Maryland got back onto the board in the bottom half of the fifth. With Zeigler-Namoa on the mound, the Terps put runners on second and third with their first three batters. Fifth-year right fielder Matt Woods brought in a run with a flyout to right, cutting the Terps’ deficit to two. Following his second walk, Zeigler-Namoa was pulled for senior right-hander Dalton Renne.

After Renne walked Zmarzlak in his opening at-bat, the Terps loaded the bases. Renne hit sophomore center fielder Elijah Lambros the next at-bat, bringing in a Maryland run and decreasing the deficit to one. 

But back-to-back extra-base hits into deep center, including a Miyao RBI double, extended Hawaii’s lead back to three in the sixth inning. 

Following the onslaught of hits, Haberthier was pulled for redshirt junior David Falco. Haberthier struck out three in 5.1 innings, but allowed seven hits and three earned runs. 

Renne was replaced by left-hander Connor Harrison to begin the seventh after he worked a scoreless sixth. Harrison held the Terps scoreless with a one-two-three inning.

Hawaii extended its lead in the top of the eighth. After the Rainbow Warriors loaded the bases with two outs, Falco hit sophomore shortstop Jordan Donahue, bringing in a run to up Hawaii’s lead to 6-3.

The Terps looked to it even in the eighth, putting runners on first and second with one out. But the Rainbow Warriors stunted Maryland’s momentum, ending the inning on a timely double play. 

Hawaii extended its lead in the ninth after the pair of home runs from Igawa and Donahue. Fifth year right-hander Kenny Lippman and sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren each allowed a homer.

The Terps could not pull the game any closer in the ninth, falling after a quick 1-2-3 inning. 

Maryland looks to bounce back Tuesday in College Park with a midweek game against UMBC.