Petrutz’s go-ahead home run allows Maryland baseball to edge past Maine, 5-4

After a 25-10 offensive explosion on Friday, Maryland baseball was seeking to clinch a sequence win on Saturday. However it didn’t come simple, and Maryland battled all sport to take Saturday’s sport, 5-4, getting its second sequence win this season.

The sport was the polar reverse of Friday evening, with the Maryland offense scoring three runs within the first inning after which falling silent till the fourth, one thing that was surprising after every part went its approach a sport prior. After a tense prime of the eighth, Ian Petrutz hit a go-ahead solo house run on a full depend to present Maryland the lead.

Nigel Belgrave got here in for his second inning of reduction and loaded the bases with no outs. With the sport on the road, Belgrave sat down three straight batters, sealing the win for the Terps.

Maine shook issues up with its pitching workers, sending its Saturday starter out on Friday and giving freshman righty Gianni Gambardella his first profession begin for the Black Bears. He struggled within the first, with a leadoff hit by Luke Shliger and Nick Lorusso holding his hitting streak going with a two-run shot over the middle discipline wall. Kevin Keister then introduced Matt Shaw in for the third run of the inning. Gambardella restricted any additional harm with two groundouts.

Maine answered within the second, getting two runs again on a house run by sophomore infielder Myles Sargen that simply missed left fielder Bobby Zmarzlak’s glove. Then, back-to-back doubles by Dean O’Neil and Dylan McNary tied issues up at three. With Maine threatening to take the lead, Lorusso made a diving play at third to restrict any additional harm and ended the highest of the second.

After fireworks early on, Gambardella and Dean each bent however refused to interrupt. Dean put runners on once more within the prime of the third with a stroll, a success and a sacrifice bunt. With runners on second and third, he struck out the following batter to finish the highest of the second. Within the third, Shaw hit a single and stole two bases, threatening to attain with one out. Maryland didn’t deliver him house, although, which prompted Dylan McNary to do the very same factor within the fourth. Identical to Maryland, the Black Bears couldn’t deliver him in, holding the sport tied at three going to the underside of the fourth.

Maryland lastly capitalized with runners in scoring place within the backside of the fourth with three hits, together with an RBI single by Luke Shliger to deliver Eddie Hacopian in from second, giving the Terps the lead again. Lorusso tried to increase the result in 4, hitting a ball to the warning monitor in proper discipline, which was simply shy of changing into his second house run of the sport.

Maine seemed to reply proper again, beginning the inning off with a success. With Maine threatening, Keister snagged a ball off the bat of Jeremiah Jenkins and turned it right into a double play. Connor Goodman hit a single proper after that may have been a run if not for the Terps’ protection.

The Black Bears didn’t have to attend lengthy to get again on the board, although, Myles Sargent hit a double and was introduced in after singles by Colin Plante and Dean O’Neil. Dean was then relieved by Kenny Lippman with runners on first and second and no outs. However, Lippman managed to get out of the jam and keep away from additional harm.

Maine’s Gianni Gambardella was relieved for Caleb Leys within the seventh. Gambardella completed having thrown six innings, permitting 9 hits and 4 earned runs. It was a powerful outing by a freshman in opposition to a crew that put up 25 runs up the sport prior.

A single and an error put runners on early within the eighth, and Maryland left-handed pitcher Tommy Kane loaded the bases with two outs after hitting Jake Rainess. Kane was relieved by Belgrave with Quinn McDaniel as much as the plate. Regardless of strolling in virtually half of his plate appearances, Quinn couldn’t get a good name in opposition to Belgrave, hanging out trying and leaving all three males on base.

The very subsequent at-bat, Petrutz hit a house run with a full depend that gave Maryland the lead.

With a one-run benefit, Belgrave stored the Terps’ bats within the dugout, hanging out three straight batters, giving him the save and the win.

With this win, the Terps’ file stands at 7-7 with an opportunity to brush the Black Bears on Sunday.

Three issues to know

1. The Maryland offense cooled off. Maryland had 19 hits on Friday evening together with six house runs. It appeared to be the identical story early on Saturday, with a three-run first inning. However Maryland’s offense could not get issues going to the identical diploma this time round, unable to get runs on the board till the fourth inning. The Terps had been unable to get to freshman Gianni Gambardella in his first collegiate begin.

2. Not an excellent begin for Dean. 5 innings pitched, 11 hits, 4 earned runs, one stroll and 4 strikeouts shouldn’t be a nasty stat line, however positively not excellent for a supposed ace. The Maine offense has been nice all season, however that is the primary crew it was in a position to get to that was on the caliber of Maryland. Dean let loads of runners attain base, however he was in a position to get out of bother to maintain the sport inside a run.

3. Second sequence win. Maryland battled till the top for this win, one thing it actually wanted after an underwhelming previous two weeks. With this win, it’s in place to get its first sweep of the season. A sweep on Sunday would give Maryland a profitable file forward of one other stretch of winnable video games.