Maryland baseball destroyed by No. 1 UCLA, 12-2, in 7 innings

Maryland baseball found itself with a runner on base against No. 1 UCLA at the top of the seventh inning after Aden Hill singled to right field.

Brayden Martin took the box after him, hitting a fly ball to center field. With no outs, Hill sped toward second base and began rounding the bases.

But UCLA’s center fielder Will Gasparino caught the ball.

Hill couldn’t beat Gasparino’s throw back to first. As the double play took shape, Maryland’s chance of catching up from four runs behind disappeared.

UCLA then blew its lead wide open, scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh frame to end the game early, 12-2.

In the bottom of the first with runners on the corners and an out, UCLA’s Roman Martin smashed a ground ball down the left field line for an RBI double. He brought home his teammate Roch Cholowsky to take the lead.

Shortly thereafter, Cashel Dugger obliterated Maryland pitcher Lance Williams’ breaking ball, sending it clear over Bud Coombs’ head in right field for a grand slam. With two outs, the Terps suddenly faced their largest first-inning deficit of the season.

Williams managed to escape a second grand-slam set-up unscathed, striking out a batter to finish the inning.

Martin took the batters box in the top of the third after Aden Hill slid into second base in the previous at-bat. The junior utility man knocked an RBI-double along the left field line, allowing Hill to cross home to put the Terps on the board.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Martin began his own trek around the diamond, reaching first on a fielder’s choice that took Bud Coombs off the bases.

The Bruins loaded the bases, and Williams faced Dean West for the fourth time. After a strike — it followed three straight balls — Williams issued his first walk of the game, bringing home yet another Bruin to increase UCLA’s lead.

Lance Williams’ outing on the mound lasted more than half the game, mildly improving over five innings. In the bottom of the first, the junior gave up 10 bases, five of which came from hitting the batter. Williams began to settle in by the end of the fifth, only allowing one RBI.

The Terps had no problem making it to the bases on Friday, but struggled early to come all the way around the horn. Across five innings, Maryland recorded eight base hits, yet only two runners made it home.

To change that trend, though, Ty Kaunas stepped to the plate in the top of the sixth. The freshman shortstop sent the ball through the 5-6 hole for an RBI single, bringing Paul Jones II home and closing UCLA’s lead to four runs.

Brayden Ryan took over for Williams at the bottom of the sixth, and his tenure on the mound started smoothly. The redshirt junior didn’t allow any runs in the sixth and recorded one strikeout.

After Hill’s base-running mishap in the top of the next inning, though, Ryan didn’t fare much better.

After posting one more strikeout, Ryan let three straight singles pass him by, loading the bases yet again. Just two pitches later, West wore another pitch, allowing Dugger to bank a second run on the day and UCLA’s lead to increase.

Another two-run single one batter later and a hit batter ended Ryan’s day on the mound. Andrew Koshy took over to do damage control, but he hurled a wild pitch of his own for a runner to advance and score.

With two outs left in the inning, UCLA’s Payton Brennan singled through the right side for a two-run RBI, sparking NCAA’s run-rule to end the game early.

1. Bruin batters beware. Maryland’s pitching staff hit eight batters total. Six of the nine UCLA hitters got hit at least once, and two wore a pair of pitches. The Terps almost hit the Bruins with the ball (8) as many times as they hit the ball (9).

2. Scoreboard 180. The last time a UCLA-Maryland game ended early was just one season ago, in 2025. The Terps were on the flip side of the coin though, beating the Bruins, 13-3.

3. Go-to reliever. Koshy has had the most mound appearances for the Terps despite never starting a game, and he’s posted a 5.87 ERA. The junior averages 1.4 allowed runs per game, and he hasn’t allowed a run since March 13.