Coming off a season-opening series win against South Florida, No. 13 Maryland baseball will take host to West Virginia Tuesday afternoon.
After dropping the first game of the series 8-7, the Terps bounced back on Saturday and Sunday to take the series win and climb above .500 for the first time this season.
The Terps totaled 24 runs against the Bulls while surrendering 14, seven of which came in the opening night game.
Junior right-hander Jason Savacool struggled in the Friday night outing. In six innings, the Terps’ ace allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks, not commanding the strike zone the way he did so effectively last season.
Savacool had thrown 64 pitches by the end of the third inning, but was able to settle in a bit after that, throwing three more relatively quiet frames before being replaced by redshirt junior right-hander David Falco in the seventh inning.
“[Savacool] would probably tell you it wasn’t his best stuff,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “He was behind in some counts and that got him in a bit of trouble.”
Vaughn felt Savacool did not have his best performance, but it was “far from his worst,” as he ultimately kept the Terps in the game for all six innings.
On the offensive side, it was Maryland’s bottom half of the order that carried the load in the first game.
The Terps’ top three hitters failed to reach base in Friday’s loss, but the four through nine spots — highlighted by sophomore designated hitter Ian Petrutz, sophomore outfielder Jacob Orr and sophomore outfielder Elijah Lambros — dominated.
Orr hit an RBI triple in the second inning and smacked a grand slam in the eighth, the first home run of his career. Petrutz collected two hits in each of the first three games, including a grand slam of his own in the third and final game. Lambros, a South Carolina transfer, went 3-for-8 in the series with two runs batted in and three walks.
The top of the order picked up the slack on Saturday, as junior shortstop Matt Shaw reached base three times while senior third baseman Nick Lorusso extended the Terps’ grand slam streak to three straight games in the seventh inning.
Maryland’s grand slam streak is one off from the San Diego Padres’ 2020 record of four-straight games.
“We’re on pace for 56 [grand slams], which I like,” Vaughn said.
Shaw continued to ascend in Sunday’s game when he was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with two extra-base hits. The star infielder collected his first home run of the season in the third inning with a two-run shot to left field.
The Terps’ Saturday and Sunday pitchers, senior right-hander Nick Dean and junior right-hander Nate Haberthier, both turned in respectable outings.
Dean allowed no runs in six innings and collected eight strikeouts, while Haberthier threw five innings of two-run ball. Both starters earned their first wins of the season.
If Maryland’s three weekend starters can continue to be effective, it will feel much better about its overall pitching depth moving forward.
The Terps’ next opponent, West Virginia, comes into Tuesday with a 1-2 record after facing Georgia Southern in its opening series.
The Mountaineers finished sixth in the Big 12 last season with a 14-10 conference record and a 33-22 overall record.
West Virginia’s offense is powered by junior center fielder Braden Barry, sophomore second baseman JJ Wetherholt, redshirt senior catcher Dayne Leonard and redshirt senior third baseman Caleb McNeely.
Barry slashed .289/.374/.497 last season with six home runs and 26 RBIs, while Wetherholt hit five home runs and 39 RBIs with a line of .308/.411/.471.
First pitch from the Bob is set for 4 p.m.
