During the top of the fifth inning of Friday’s game against Illinois, Maryland’s starter Taylor Bloom found himself in a jam. The senior right-hander struggled up to that point, with the Terps trailing 6-3 through 4 ⅔ innings.
However, with the bases loaded, two outs and Zac Taylor stepping to the plate, Bloom had the chance to record a big out and regain some momentum for Maryland (14-16, 2-2) heading into the final few at-bats.
That would not be the case, as Taylor sent Bloom’s second pitch over the left-center wall for a grand slam, giving Illinois a 10-3 lead. Bloom retired the next batter, but the damage was done, and the Fighting Illini (18-7, 5-2) picked up a 10-6 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
The Illinois offense gave Bloom trouble all day. During his five innings of work, the lineup scored 10 runs on 10 hits while working five walks. The 10 earned runs and five walks allowed are career-highs for the senior starter, while the five-inning start is his shortest outing of the season.
Besides Taylor’s grand slam, the Illini were led by 3-5 hitters Bren Spillane, Michael Massey and Doran Turchin. Spillane continued his statistically-incredible season, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Massey added two RBIs on a double and Turchin hit his seventh home run of the season in the fifth.
The bright spot for the Maryland pitching staff was the bullpen, as Grant Burleson, Alec Tuohy and Billy Phillips combined for four no-hit relief innings.
As for the Maryland offense, it looked as if they, too, would have a productive day at the plate, scoring two runs in the first off starter Andy Fisher. Yet, after the RBI singles by A.J. Lee and Zach Jancarski, the lineup went quiet during the middle innings, mustering up only one more run when Fisher balked, bringing in Tommy Gardiner in the fourth.
After the tough first inning for Fisher, the junior left-hander settled in quickly and stifled the Maryland offense for the rest of his outing, going eight innings while allowing three runs and striking out five to pick up his third win of the season.
Maryland made some noise in the ninth, with freshman Justin Vought snagging a two-run pinch-hit homer in the ninth off of reliever Jimmy Burnette. The freshman left-hander struggled in the inning, allowing two hits, two runs and two walks before being replaced by Ryan Kutt with one out. Kutt then surrendered an RBI double to Jancarski, with the run charged to Burnette.
Kutt eventually struck out Will Watson, ending the rally and securing the victory for Illinois.
Game two of the double-header will feature Terps’ starter Tyler Blohm, as Maryland looks to even the series before the off-day tomorrow.
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