Preview: Maryland baseball concludes seven-game road trip with weekend series against Portland

Maryland baseball (13-4) dominated Mount St. Mary’s in its first home game of the season, 14-5. But the Terps faced the Mountaineers much closer in their most recent outing on Tuesday, a 6-4 win.

Ryan Van Buren got his fourth start of the season and his second against Mount St. Mary’s. The Mountaineers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as Scott Seeker blasted a solo home run in his team’s second at-bat of the game. 

But the early run didn’t affect Van Buren’s performance. He produced another quality start for Maryland, allowing just four hits and one run throughout five innings pitched. Van Buren has pitched a minimum of five innings in every start this season and has allowed just one earned run in three of his four starts.

“Me and [pitching coach] Jimmy [Jackson] are very confident in my stuff,” Van Buren said after the game. “We looked pretty quick at all the offspeed deliveries, and we kinda had to make some changes there, so we threw away the old slider and got a new sharper slider and a bigger curveball and then just small changes with the changeup.”

A combination of four different Mount St. Mary’s pitchers kept the Terps’ offense off-balance and off the scoreboard, allowing the Mountaineers to double their lead on their second solo home run of the day when Van Buren was relieved to start the sixth inning.

The Maryland offense finally broke through in the seventh inning, tying the game 2-2 with a two-run top of the frame. But Mount St. Mary immediately responded with a two-run single in the bottom of the inning to go back in front.

The Terps didn’t quit. A Sam Hojnar RBI single cut the deficit to one, and an abundance of unforced errors allowed Maryland to grab three runs in the ninth to give the Terps their first lead of the day.

“You have to try to push one across in the first inning,” coach Matt Swope said. “I think [the first inning] kinda set the tone. You got the bases loaded with one out; you gotta do whatever you can to push one across.”

Lafayette transfer Alex Walsh closed out the ninth by retiring the Mountaineers in order to pick up his first collegiate save and seal the win.

Despite the comeback win, Maryland’s performance against Mount St. Mary’s was symbolic of its road trip so far. The Terps struck out 11 times in the game, bringing their total to 50 over the past four games. 

“It’s just about not pissing away at-bats,” Jordan Crossland said on the team’s recent strikeout totals. “Never take for granted one pitch. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Explosive innings have been a theme during Maryland’s road trip. The Terps had a three-run ninth in their 6-4 win against Mountaineers, a two-run sixth in their 3-2 win against Charlotte on Sunday and a five-run sixth in their 9-5 loss against Charlotte on Friday.

Last year’s team was powered by its prolific offense. This year, the Terps’ pitching has been their main source of consistency. The staff boasts a 3.98 ERA and has allowed three or fewer runs in seven of the team’s 17 games, two of which came during the road trip. 

Specifically, Maryland’s starters have been its biggest strength. The Terps’ two returners — Van Buren and Kenny Lippman — have consistently put in quality starts, allowing Maryland’s bullpen to have a plethora of arms ready to throw. Lippman has paired well with Van Buren, throwing less than four innings in just one game. 

“All the credit goes to the pitching staff,” Swope said. “When you can consistently throw strikes and the defense feels like they’re in the game, it’s just such a relief.”

The staff has also been helped by George Mason transfer Logan Koester, who holds the lowest ERA among starting pitchers and has pitched four or more innings in all four outings.

And when Maryland’s starting pitching has faltered, its bullpen is typically up to the task. Logan Berrier and Nate Habertheir have each appeared five times this season, and both have an ERA of three or below. 

The Terps will close out their long road trip with a three-game series against Portland. The Pilots (9-5) have won six of their past eight games, including a commanding 15-5 victory over Oregon on Tuesday. 

Maryland’s offense will look to replicate the consistent outputs it saw during its four-game homestand. Portland has allowed five or more runs in all but three games this season.

First pitch will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday. Saturday’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m. The series finale on Sunday will start at 3 p.m.