No. 1-seed Maryland baseball demolishes No. 4-seed Long Island, 23-2, in regional opener

It didn’t take lengthy for No. 1-seed Maryland baseball to make its presence felt in its opening sport of the regional towards No. 4-seed Lengthy Island. The underside of the second inning noticed the Terps explode on offense and in the end finish the sport earlier than it even began.

Maryland received on the board first with an errant throw by Lengthy Island shortstop EJ Exposito that noticed Terps junior outfielder Troy Schreffler Jr. rating Maryland’s first run.

The Terps wouldn’t cease there. Its offense would seemingly proceed to showcase its electrical energy in dominant vogue. A 3-run RBI double by third baseman Nick Lorusso, a two-run homer by shortstop Matt Shaw and a string of contributions all through the lineup allowed Maryland to take a commanding 9-0 lead after simply two innings.

Maryland’s crushing continued all through the night time in entrance of its electrical dwelling crowd in Faculty Park, cruising to a 23-2 win over Lengthy Island on Friday night time within the regional opener to advance to the following spherical and a pending matchup towards No. 3-seed UConn on Saturday.

The ambiance at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium was electrical and buzzing for postseason baseball, as Maryland hosted a regional within the NCAA Match for the primary time in program historical past in entrance of a sold-out crowd.

The offensive explosion continued within the third inning after Lorusso doubled to left heart subject, scoring catcher Luke Shliger. Then, Schreffler hit a two-run RBI double to left subject that scored each Shaw and Lorusso, pushing the Terps result in 12.

The onslaught continued within the fourth inning when Shliger bombed a two-run homer over the middle subject wall. 5 extra runs had been scored within the seventh inning, making it a 19-0 ball sport after simply 4 innings.

The Terps pushed their lead even additional within the sixth inning with a house run from designated hitter Ian Petrutz – his third hit of the day – that made it 20-0.

Left-handed pitcher Ryan Ramsey, who had a stellar day on the mound pitching 5 innings, throwing 11 strikeouts whereas permitting no runs and simply 4 hits, exited the sport after 5 innings and a greater than snug lead. He was changed by southpaw reliever Logan Ott.

Ott allowed Lengthy Island to get on the board for its first run of the day with a house run within the seventh inning.

Nonetheless, the Terps refused to take their foot off the fuel. Within the backside of the seventh, first baseman Maxwell Costes knocked a two-run RBI single to heart subject, extending the result in 22-1.

As if it wanted any extra insurance coverage, Maryland tacked on yet another run within the eighth inning to solidify its 21-run victory.

As soon as the Maryland bats received going, Lengthy Island actually by no means had an opportunity. The Sharks had been overmatched and overpowered on Friday night time, and the Terps closed out a efficiency to recollect.

Three issues to know

1. Ryan Ramsey pitched 5 sturdy innings. The Terps’ left-handed pitcher received out to a blazing begin and negated Lengthy Island’s offense. Ramsey stored batters off rhythm with totally different pitches and swift rotations by his teammates. He registered 11 strikeouts and didn’t relinquish a run throughout his 5 innings on the mound. The Terps will want that sort of efficiency from their beginning pitchers as they advance within the regional.
2. The Terps offense proved as soon as once more how formidable it may be. Maryland’s offense took management of this sport from the second inning ahead and seemingly by no means seemed again. Contributions had been coming from a number of Terps, and their collaborative effort ought to seize the eye of UConn and Wake Forest. The Terps have proven the nation how deadly their offense might be when it’s clicking, however to do it in postseason play is much more exceptional. Maryland scored 23 runs on 20 hits, exhibiting out for what was its first-ever dwelling postseason sport.
3. Maryland will play UConn on Saturday within the subsequent spherical. The regional is a double-elimination model bracket, which means a staff has to lose twice earlier than it’s eradicated. Maryland put itself in good place to advance to the tremendous regional with a dominant win on Friday night time. Now Maryland will play No. 3-seed UConn, which upset No. 2-seed Wake Forest on Friday afternoon, on Saturday night time to advance to the regional championship. If Maryland beats UConn, it must win yet another sport to win the Faculty Park Regional. In the event that they lose to UConn, the Terps could have a must-win sport on Sunday.