No. 18 Maryland baseball falls to No. 7 Vanderbilt, 8-7

Down 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Vanderbilt searched for the game-clinching run against Maryland. 

After three efficient innings of relief, Nigel Belgrave walked Jack Bulger to begin the ninth. The right-hander was pulled for left-hander Kyle McCoy. 

In McCoy’s first at-bat, pinch-hitter Calvin Hewett laid down a bunt for a single, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Enrique Bradfield followed by punching an RBI single up the middle, bringing home Matthew Polk and tying the game at seven. 

McCoy proceeded to intentionally walk RJ Austin, loading the bases for RJ Schreck.

On the first pitch of the at-bat, Schreck popped a sacrifice fly into left field, giving way for Hewett to run home.

Hewett beat the throw home by Bobby Zmarzlak as No. 7 Vanderbilt (7-4) secured the walk-off win against No. 18 Maryland (4-6), 8-7.

“I thought we played good enough to win today,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “I love the competitiveness, I love the fight against really good guys…I gotta do my job, be better on my end.”

The Terps got the scoring started early in the first. With runners on second and third, sophomore designated hitter Ian Petrutz drove a ground ball to shortstop, bringing home junior catcher Luke Shliger for the first score of the game. 

The early production was a welcoming site as the Terps came off their lowest scoring output of the season, registering only one run against No. 4 Ole Miss on Friday. 

The Maryland lead didn’t last long, however, as Bradfield rocketed a leadoff home run into left-center off Maryland starter Nick Dean, tying the game at one in the bottom of the first. 

The senior right-hander continued to struggle early. After walking two of the next three batters, an RBI double by sophomore third baseman Davis Diaz gave the Commodores their first lead. A sac fly in the next at-bat by freshman designated hitter Chris Maldonado extended the lead to 3-1. 

The Commodores continued to pile on early runs when Bulger drove an RBI single to center. Maryland ended the first inning down 4-1 as Dean allowed four earned runs on four hits, two walks and no strikeouts.

Commodores’ junior starter Hunter Owen followed up the offensive outburst with three-straight strikeouts in the second frame. 

Owen, a 6-foot-6 left-hander, entered the game with a 2.08 ERA through two starts. 

The scoring continued in the bottom of the second for Vanderbilt as Austin delivered a rocket to left field to put the Commodores ahead, 5-1. 

The Terps’ offense began the fourth inning by loading the bases, but ultimately couldn’t convert. Sophomore center fielder Elijah Lambros grounded into a double play, stranding multiple runners.

Maryland made up for missed opportunities in the fifth. 

The Terps loaded the bases again to start the fifth, this time with no outs. Petrutz followed with an RBI groundout, and sophomore first baseman Eddie Hacopian then smacked an RBI single, bringing Maryland’s deficit down to three. 

With two outs and runners on first and third, junior second baseman Kevin Keister rocketed a three-run homer to center, giving the Terps a 6-5 lead. 

“I say it all the time, it’s jab, jab and haymaker,” Vaughn said. “I think we’ve kind of been in haymaker mode a little bit more, trying to get it all back and trying to do a little bit too much in that situation, and we did a good job of just jabbing.”

The Terps recorded four hits in the fifth, resulting in five runs and the lead. 

The Terps could not hold onto the lead for long once again, however. In the first at-bat of the bottom of the fifth, Austin placed his second home run into the second deck of the U.S. Bank Stadium, tying the game at six. 

Both teams made pitching changes to begin the sixth.  

Owen was pulled for freshman right-hander Andrew Dutkanych, while Dean was pulled for Belgrave. Owen pitched five innings, striking out seven batters but allowing the five-run fifth. Dean allowed only one Commodores run since the end of the second.

The Terps retook the lead to begin the seventh after senior third baseman Nick Lorusso smacked a leadoff home run. The homer was Lorusso’s fourth of the year, giving Maryland a 7-6 lead.

The Commodores reached scoring position in the bottom of the eighth after a triple into deep center by Schreck. Vanderbilt couldn’t capitalize, however, recording two outs to end the inning. 

Vanderbilt returned to the plate in the ninth after a hitless top half from Maryland. 

After Belgrave walked Bulger, he was pulled for McCoy.

“As good as Nigel was, there’s no way I should have sent him back out,” Vaughn said. “I told our team after the game that that loss is really on me … the mistake is not letting Kyle start the inning, and he kind of came into a mess and that’s just bad coaching.”

Bradfield quickly tied the game with an RBI single to center. A few at-bats later, Schreck sent the game winning sac-fly to left, securing the walk-off victory in dramatic fashion.

Maryland continues the Cambria College Classic Sunday against Hawaii (5-3) for its final game of the series.