Maryland

Maryland baseball defeats James Madison, 8-4

Published

1 year ago

March 4, 2025

Maryland baseball defeats James Madison, 8-4

Through four innings, Maryland baseball and James Madison were in a pitcher’s duel. Starters Jake Yeager and Casey Smith were dealing, but neither team could get much of anything going on offense.

The Dukes retired 10 straight Terps batters through the first four innings. Simultaneously, Maryland didn’t allow a base runner for three consecutive innings. It was Yeager’s second start, and he pitched five innings, allowing just one run on a single hit.

This defensive showing helped Maryland rally in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to take the lead, which it maintained en route to an 8-4 victory — the Terps’ sixth straight win over James Madison — Tuesday in College Park.

Maryland matched its run total from Sunday in the first inning. Second baseman Brayden Martin led off with a single up the middle, followed by a double from third baseman Eddie Hacopian to put runners on second and third. Then, first baseman Hollis Porter drove in Martin with a sacrifice fly to put the first run on the board.

After a 1-2-3 inning, Yeager got into a second-inning jam, loading the bases with only one out. Command issues plagued Yeager, as he walked his third batter of the inning to score the tying run for the Dukes. But Maryland’s defense made up for it with a double play to escape the jam without further damage.

Then, Yeager found his groove. He retired 10 straight batters, pitching three consecutive 1-2-3 innings. However, James Madison’s pitching saw the same success. Smith and redshirt freshman reliever Holden McKinney combined to retire 10 straight Maryland batters, including six consecutive strikeouts.

“It’s a mentality thing,” Yeager said. “You got to go out there with confidence to know you’re better than the other guy.”

Elijah Lambros broke the cold spell in the fifth innung, doubling to left-center field. After two straight walks, Hacopian hit an RBI single to second base, beating out the throw to prevent an inning-ending double play.

Then, Alex Calarco took his turn at the plate. He cleared the bases with a double into the left-center field gap to put the Terps up 4-1.

Senior reliever Ryan Van Buren entered the game in the sixth inning coming off his best performance of the season Saturday. In that outing, he pitched four innings, only allowing just one run. He kept rolling Tuesday, pitching Maryland’s fourth straight 1-2-3 inning.

But James Madison finally fought out of its funk. It notched its second hit of the game, when pinch hitter Nic Poole homered just over the right-center field wall to cut the deficit to two runs.

The Dukes could not contain Calarco in the bottom half of the seventh inning, though. He slapped his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot to extend Maryland’s lead.

“It’s the best feeling in the world, all that’s been going on,” Calarco said. “I’m really grateful and honored to put on the Terp uniform.”

Graduate student Corey Dowdell pinch-hit in the eighth inning, singling to left field to score the Dukes’ third run. But Maryland quickly responded, as Hacopian’s double down the left-field line scored two insurance runs.

Andrew Johnson closed in the ninth inning, yet struggled to find the zone. He walked three batters to load the bases but escaped the jam, allowing only one run on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Jack Cannizzaro. He struck out the final batter, capturing Maryland’s seventh win of the season.

“He’s got to be a guy for us at the end,” head coach Matt Swope said about Johnson. “You’re not really panicking until the tying run gets on base. Until that point, it doesn’t matter.”

Three things to know

1. Calarco can’t be stopped. Calarco’s stellar season continued Tuesday, as he knocked in four RBIs to extend his season total to 29. He also has eight home runs, good for second-most in the country.

2. Yeager’s first win. Yeager was incredible in his second start. He allowed just one run and one hit, retiring the final 10 batters he faced.

3. Home, sweet home. Maryland earned its first home win of the season Tuesday. It has three more games at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium this weekend against UCLA.

Source link

Click to comment

Maryland

Mindframe Named Maryland-Bred Horse of the Year

Published

3 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Mindframe Named Maryland-Bred Horse of the Year

In a year in which three Maryland-bred runners were Grade 1 winners, including a Breeders’ Cup win, Mindframe is the 2025 Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, as well as champion older male, as announced at this year’s ninth annual Renaissance Champion Awards, held Sunday afternoon, March 22, at Laurel Park. The event is a collaborative effort between the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, which recognizes excellence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Maryland in the past year.

The richest state-bred runner of 2025 with $1,407,220 earned in five starts, Mindframe ranked as one of the best of his generation. He came into the year after taking the title of Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old male when recording two seconds in his only two stakes starts, both Grade 1s, including the Belmont Stakes. In his first start at 4, the Todd Pletcher-trainee returned after a nearly eight-month layoff to record his first stakes victory in the Gulfstream Park Mile-G2 in March. His next two starts were at the highest level. Dropping back to seven furlongs for the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day, he rallied to get up at the wire over one of the best fields assembled all year, which included Book’em Danno, Nysos and Mullikin.

Back at Churchill in late June, Mindframe faced five rivals, including Sierra Leone, First Mission, Mystik Dan and Hit Show, in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster and won decisively while stopping the clock in 1:47.48 for the mile and an eighth, just .22 seconds off the track record.

Racing for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC, which purchased the son of Constitution for $600,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale from breeder Larry Johnson, Mindframe was the second-choice against seven others in the Jockey Club Gold Cup-G1 at Saratoga in August but was eliminated at the start when slammed from the outside, losing rider Irad Ortiz. He would not run again until the Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1 at Del Mar in November and, after battling on the front end into the far turn, he weakened late to finish fifth. Now at stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., he retired with a career record of 9-5-2-0 while earning $2,054,580.

Other divisional champions:

Champion 2-Year-Old Male: Romeo

Dk.b./br.c., 2023, Honor A. P.–Fancy Love, by Not For Love. Bred by John C. Davison. Owned by Joseph Lloyd. Trained by John J. Robb. Foaled at Glade Valley Farm, Frederick.

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: Dazzling Dame

B.f., 2023, Girvin–Awesome Dama, by Corinthian. Bred by Maria M. Haire. Owned by Respect the Valleys LLC. Trained by Brittany T. Russell. Foaled at Northview Stallion Station, Chesapeake City.

Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Barbadian Runner

Dk.b./br.g., 2022, Barbados–Quiet Run, by Northern Afleet. Bred by Shamrock Farm. Owned by AJ Will Win Stables LLC. Trained by Henry Walters. Foaled at Shamrock Farm, Woodbine.

Champion 3-Year-Old Filly: Onyx Ten

B.f., 2022, Street Magician–Chattolanee, by Rock Hard Ten. Bred and owned by Frank T. Sample. Trained by Gary Capuano. Foaled at Dance Forth @ Roland Farm, Warwick.

Champion Older Female, Sprinter: Splendora

Dk.b./br.m., 2021, Audible–Miss Freeze, by Frost Giant. Bred by The Elkstone Group LLC. Owned by By Talla Racing LLC. Trained by Bob Baffert. Foaled at C-Dog Farm, Chesapeake City.

Champion Turf Runner: Future Is Now

B.m., 2020, Great Notion–Past as Prelude, by Bernardini. Bred by R. Larry Johnson. Owned by the Estate of R. Larry Johnson. Trained by Mike Trombetta. Foaled at Dance Forth @ Roland Farm, Warwick.

Champion Steeplechaser: Keys Discount

Dk.b./br.g., 2019, Medal Count–Divertimento, by Rizzi. Bred by Bryan Minnich. Owned by Mrs. John R.S. Fisher. Trained by Jack Fisher. Foaled at Anchor and Hope Farm, Port Deposit.

The awards for Breeder, Broodmare, and Stallion of the Year are familiar names. For the second year in a row, the late R. Larry Johnson, breeder of Mindframe and additional 2025 champion Future Is Now, is Maryland Breeder of the Year.

Slow and Steady, the dam of two stakes winners in 2025, and four total for the partnership of ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable, gets her second award, having previously been so honored in 2022.

Great Notion, now pensioned at his longtime home at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, earns his 10th consecutive award as Maryland Stallion of the Year.

This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that produced the release.

Source link

Maryland

Maryland baseball drops second straight conference series, falls 8-3 to No. 1 UCLA

Published

15 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Maryland baseball drops second straight conference series, falls 8-3 to No. 1 UCLA

After Game 1 against No. 1 UCLA ended in the seventh inning due to the run rule on Friday, Maryland baseball was out for revenge.

Its bid for vengeance was strong, as it outhit the Bruins Saturday, 13-10. But it couldn’t keep up on the scoreboard.

The Terps ultimately fell to UCLA, 8-3, at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. Maryland has now lost their second Big Ten series in a row after losing two out of three games against Purdue last weekend.

With two outs in the top of the first inning, catcher Rylen Stockton collected his 13th RBI of the season with a double to left field, giving Maryland a one-run head start.

But UCLA didn’t allow the Terps to hold any sort of lead for long.

In the bottom of the first, Bruins’ infielder Roman Martin tied the game with a double RBI. With two runners on base, Payton Brennan blasted a home run over the left field wall on his first pitch, making it a 4-1 game.

Maryland senior Aden Hill recorded his third home run of the season to give the Terps another run in the top of the second.

The Bruins responded quickly, extending their lead in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly to center field by Will Gasparino. That hit was followed by another RBI by Cashel Dugger, giving UCLA a four-run advantage.

Maryland scored its last run of the game in the top of the fourth inning, as redshirt junior Devin Russell launched his second double of the season to bring in the Terps’ third run.

With the bases loaded, sophomore right-handed pitcher Cristofer Cespedes took the mound in place of Evan Smith in the bottom of the fourth. After walking one runner to make it a 7-3 game, Cespedes closed the inning with a strikeout and fielder’s choice to third base.

Cespedes dominated the mound, holding the Bruins entirely scoreless until the eighth inning. The sophomore threw seven strikes and only allowed five walks through the 19 batters he faced.

The Terps created multiple scoring opportunities but struggled to follow through, recording 13 hits and only three runs. At least one of Maryland’s runners were left on base at the end of each inning aside from one.

Tensions began to rise in the eighth inning.

Maryland kicked off the frame with a walk, which was followed by a single by freshman Nate Hawton-Henley — his second hit of the game in his third start of the season.

UCLA inserted its third pitcher, Chris Grothues, with two runners on base. Grothues struck out Hill, but the Bruins replaced him with Cal Randall after he only threw four pitches. Randall recorded his first strikeout, but walked junior Brayden Martin to load the bases.

The Bruins were quick to replace Randall with their fifth pitcher of the game, Easton Hawk. David Mendez stepped up to the plate with hopes of bringing home at least one of the three runners on base. Instead, he grounded out to second base on his first pitch.

In the bottom of the eighth, Cespedes walked Phoenix Call before striking out Dean West. With one runner on base, Cholowsky blasted a double down the left field line, bringing Call home and making it an 8-3 game.

After walking another batter, Landon Edwards replaced Cespedes and recorded the final out with a strikeout.

Maryland had one last chance in the top of the ninth to bring in more runs after two walks, but it failed to do any significant damage.

The Terps will try to avoid the sweep during Game 3 on Sunday.

1. Maryland’s bullpen was much more reliable Saturday. During Game 1, Maryland’s bullpen hit six batters total — two were hit twice. While the Terps threw seven strikeouts on Friday and eight on Saturday, four fewer runs were allowed.

2. The Terps’ offense improved since Game 1. Maryland’s bats seemed to move a lot more on Saturday compared to Friday. The Terps recorded one more run than the day before, but also registered four more hits. The Terps were also more calculated while facing UCLA’s pitchers during Game 2, walking four more times than in Game 1.

3. Can Maryland avoid the sweep? On Saturday, the Bruins went through five pitchers to keep up with the Terps. Although Maryland lost by five runs, it was five fewer runs allowed than in Game 1, where they were destroyed 12-2 in a contest that ended in the seventh inning. If the Terps keep their bats moving, they may have a chance of avoiding the sweep. Sophomore Jake Yeager will take the mound for Game 3 — he has only lost one game out of his five starts.

Source link

Maryland

No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse drops Big Ten opener to No. 9 Penn State, 10-6

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse drops Big Ten opener to No. 9 Penn State, 10-6

With No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse staring at a five-goal deficit and struggling to slow down No. 9 Penn State’s high-flying offense, John Tillman knew he needed to make a change.

The Terps’ head coach switched to a zone defense early in the second quarter. That move immediately changed the tide of the game.

Maryland held the nation’s eighth-best offense scoreless for the ensuing 35 minutes, allowing time to slowly climb back. AJ Larkin’s second goal of the game left the Terps down one with seven minutes remaining.

But Penn State ultimately cracked the Terps’ compact defense. Three goals in a three-minute span iced the game and dealt Maryland a 10-6 defeat at the Panzer Stadium. The loss marked its third consecutive year with a defeat in their Big Ten opener.

Brian Ruppel barely had a second to catch his breath early in Saturday’s contest. After practically willing No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse to a triple-overtime win last weekend, the senior netminder could only do so much.

Waves of Nittany Lion chances flooded the cage and long defensive possessions left Ruppel exposed in the cage. Ruppel faced five shots in the first five minutes, and Penn State was just getting started.

Maryland allowed a season-high 42 shots, with 21 challenging Ruppel in net. While he tallied 11 stops — his fourth consecutive double-digit save performance — it wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory.

Will Schaller’s injury against Virginia left the Terps in a precarious situation. Without a clear next defensive option, Tillman turned to senior Riley Reese to make his first career start, against a top-10 offense.

It went about as bad as Terps’ fans could’ve expected in the first half. Penn State generated quality chances on nearly every possession, beating defenders with ease. The trio of Peter Laake, Mikey Alexander and Reese struggled to keep pace with the Nittany Lions’ quick ball movement, leaving Ruppel stranded on an island.

While the Big Ten’s leader in saves per game fared well early on — he only allowed two goals in the opening 11 minutes — Penn State’s potent attack struck soon after. The Nittany Lions netted three unanswered goals to close out the first quarter.

Maryland trailed 5-2 after 15 minutes, marking its third quarter this season conceding five scores. It happened just three times all of last year.

After committing a season-high 19 turnovers to close out nonconference play, that wasn’t the main problem on Saturday. The Terps simply couldn’t get possession of the ball to give their defense a chance to recover.

Penn State corralled five straight faceoffs following Henry Dodge’s opening win. That stretch left Maryland’s defense on the field for nearly all of the final four minutes. Even when the Terps gained possession, the offense continued to stall out.

After Penn State produced the first two scores, Erksa stopped the bleeding on a man-up opportunity. Leo Johnson flipped a pass to Erksa standing on the doorstep, and he buried a shot at the near post to put Maryland on the board.

Four minutes later, Johnson got his own goal. The Yale transfer charged from behind the cage and fired a bouncing shot past Penn State goalie Preston Hawkins. But that was Maryland’s last goal for the ensuing 18 minutes.

While Ruppel singlehandedly kept the Terps within striking distance, the offense couldn’t find much success against Hawkins. The redshirt freshman turned in his best performance of the season with 14 saves and a 70% save percentage, outdoing his Nittany Lion counterpart.

1. Eric Spanos held scoreless. After missing the previous three contests, Spanos’ return to the starting lineup was a welcoming sight for fans. But the senior attacker was held off the scoresheet despite firing seven shots. That marked his first scoreless performance since last year’s Big Ten Tournament meeting against Penn State.

2. Maryland lost the faceoff battle. The biggest talking point heading into Saturday’s game was the matchup between two of the nation’s top faceoff units. While Maryland hadn’t lost in that department all season, Reid Gillis and Colby Baldwin controlled the X. The duo won 11 of the 19 bouts, keeping the country’s top faceoff specialist silent.

3. Ranked woes continue. When Tillman crafted one of the hardest nonconference schedules in the country, the hope was to prepare his team for Big Ten play. But the Terps have struggled against ranked opponents this season. Maryland’s 0-4 record in top-20 clashes has dimmed its postseason aspirations.

Source link