No. 19 Maryland baseball suffers crushing defeat to Northeastern, 9-2

In just the second at-bat of the game between No. 19 Maryland baseball and Northeastern, Tyler MacGregor blasted a two-run home run into right field, giving the Huskies an early two-run advantage in a sign of things to come.  

Four innings later, the first baseman did it again, leading off the fifth with his 14th home run of the season. Then on the sixth pitch of his final at-bat, MacGregor crushed his third home run of the game to center field to cap off a nine-run performance by the Husky offense. 

It was that kind of a day for the Huskies, as Northeastern (37-9, 18-7 CAA) easily handled Maryland (33-17, 13-5 B1G), 9-2.

Maryland struggled mightily offensively, as its two runs scored are tied for the least all season. The offense could also only muster five hits all game, tied for the least all season as well. 

It was a contrast from the rest of the season for the Terps, who averaged the third-most runs per game in the nation leading into Tuesday.

Fifth year right-hander Kenny Lippman received the start for the Terps, allowing four earned runs in three innings while striking out seven. All four of his runs came on two two-run homers.

“We just thought Kenny was a good matchup to start the game and, you know, he just got banged around a little bit early there,” coach Rob Vaughn said. 

The Huskies jumped onto the board first in the opening frame. In the second at-bat of the game, fifth-year first baseman Tyler MacGregor blasted his 13th home run of the season into right field, putting the Huskies ahead, 2-0.

Lippman responded with a strong second inning, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 frame. The right-hander couldn’t replicate the performance in the next frame, however. Redshirt senior shortstop Spenser Smith led off the inning with a single up the middle. Sophomore center fielder Mike Sirota followed with a two-run shot into right field, giving Northeastern 4-0 lead.

After walking the next two batters, Lippman and the Terps were able to close out the inning with three straight outs, including two strikeouts. The third inning was Lippman’s last, as sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren entered for the top of the fourth.

The Terps couldn’t answer in the third inning, going down in order. They only recorded one hit up to that point. 

“We just couldn’t string it together,” Vaughn said. “We bolt the ball and it was an out, and then we just couldn’t jump-start it from there.”

Meanwhile, the Huskies’ bats stayed hot in the fourth with Van Buren on the mound. With a runner on third, Smith flied out to center field for a sacrifice fly, extending the Northeastern lead to five runs.

The Huskies entered Tuesday with the best offense in the Colonial Athletic Association, posting a conference-high 8.4 runs per game.

Maryland posted their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Junior shortstop Matt Shaw opened the inning with a leadoff double into right field. Two at bats later, sophomore designated hitter Ian Petrutz brought the junior home with an RBI single to right-center field. 

The Huskies immediately earned back the run, however, as MacGregor crushed his second home run of the day down the right field line to lead off the fifth. 

Following MacGregor’s second long ball, the runs continued to pour in for Northeastern. After back-to-back singles from the Huskies, redshirt senior third baseman Danny Crossen reached home after an error by senior third baseman Nick Lorusso. 

The run spelled the end of Van Buren’s day, as redshirt sophomore right-hander Nigel Belgrave entered to record the final two outs — but not before another Northeastern run. Freshman right fielder Cam Maldonado advanced home from third base following a wild pitch by Belgrave, putting the Huskies ahead 8-1 by the end of the fifth frame. 

Maryland added a run in the bottom half, but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to add more. With runners on the corners, junior catcher Luke Shliger drove in a run with a single to right field, shortening the deficit to six runs. 

The Terps then had both Shaw and Lorusso step up to the plate with one out, an opportunity to hang more on the board. The two sluggers both recorded outs, however, ending any chance of a possible rally. 

The two teams failed to record a hit over the next three innings as the Northeastern lead remained six. But MacGregor padded the lead in the ninth with his third home run of the game, the most by a Husky this season. 

The top of the Maryland order — Shliger, Shaw and Lorusso — hit for a combined 2-for-11 in the game.

“One thing [to] remember is that even the best players have days that are up and down,” Vaughn said.

The Terps will now shift their focus to a weekend series against Minnesota starting on Friday.