Already amidst a four-run inning that had the Terps ahead by 11 runs, Nick Lorusso stepped into the box with the bases loaded. The senior third baseman effortlessly swung on the fourth pitch of his at bat and watched the ball fly as it soared above and beyond the left field scoreboard for a grand slam.
The blast was Lorusso’s second homer of the game, his third of the series and his 20th of the year, all the while giving Maryland its 11th grand slam of the year.
As Maryland baseball’s historic offensive season continues to reach new heights, Lorusso added to the record books in an eight-RBI performance that gave him the single-season program record of 84 with seven games still to go in the regular season.
“I love that his name is going to be at the top of that record,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “I think [he’s] a very well-deserving kid.”
The No. 23 Terps (33-16, 13-5 B1G) used a pair of eight-run frames to defeat Nebraska (25-19-1, 10-8 B1G) at home on Sunday, 20-5. The win extended Maryland’s streak of consecutive Big Ten series without a series loss to 22, dating back to the 2021 season.
“Everyone’s doing their job,” junior shortstop Matt Shaw said. “Everyone’s getting on, everyone’s getting that big hit and it’s a lot of fun when you can do that.”
The Cornhuskers, like in Saturday’s win, struck first with three hits and two runs in the second inning. Two runners reached base to start the inning and freshman third baseman Dylan Carey poked a ball into shallow right field to score both, putting junior Jason Savacool in an early 2-0 hole on the mound.
Savacool endured his worst start of the season last week against Indiana, allowing seven earned runs in five innings. Savacool was recently shifted back from the Friday starter role to Sunday, the spot where he resided as a sophomore.
The right-hander didn’t have his sharpest stuff once again against the Cornhuskers, allowing five earned runs on seven hits in six innings, walking three and striking out five. Savacool battled for 104 pitches before turning the ball over to the bullpen in a blowout to begin the sixth.
“I thought he made pitches in big spots today,” Vaughn said. “His stuff was probably pretty similar to last weekend, but in the big spots … he made pitches when he needed to.”
Savacool once again found himself with runners on second and third in the third inning — this time with no outs — after allowing a walk and a double. But he limited the damage to just one run on a ground out that scored a Husker and two ensuing punchouts.
Maryland quickly responded to Nebraska’s two-run top half of the second with a pair of runs of its own on three hits in the bottom half of the inning. After sophomore first baseman Eddie Hacopian and fifth-year right fielder Matt Woods reached base on a single and a double, respectively, sophomore center fielder Elijah Lambros scored both with a single up the middle.
Lorusso then blasted his second home run of the series and 19th of the year in the third frame. The two-run shot to right field gave the Terps their first lead of the day, 4-3.
The game broke wide open with the Maryland bats in the fourth, with eight Terps crossing home on six hits. Sophomores Jacob Orr and Ian Petrutz both homered for a combined five RBIs, while Shaw scored on a wild pitch and Lorusso singled to right field for two more RBIs.
Nebraska got a pair of runs back in the fifth on a two-run blast off the bat of junior second baseman Max Anderson, but the Cornhuskers still trailed 12-5.
The Terps extended their already humongous lead in the sixth frame, putting together their second eight-run inning — capped off by Lorusso’s grand slam — to take a massive 20-5 lead.
Seven different Maryland bats recorded an RBI in the 15-run demolition in an offensive showcase, as the Terps continued to stay hot entering the home stretch of the regular season. With just two more weekend series before gearing up for the Big Ten tournament, Vaughn’s squad is rounding into peak form at just the right time.
“Somewhere you want to be in the end of the year,” Shaw said. “We’re gaining a little momentum, we got a big game this week [against No. 25 Northeastern] and then another big weekend [against Minnesota].”
