Sam Hojnar’s walk-off single delivered the Terps a crucial win on Wednesday.
After it seemed as if it was dead, Maryland baseball pulled off yet another comeback victory. In a rollercoaster game that saw the Terps blow a 7-0 lead and trail by four as late as the eighth inning, Sam Hojnar delivered a walk-off two-run single to give them a 13-12 victory over UMBC.
It looked as though UMBC had delivered the decisive blow in the seventh inning when Justin Taylor, who already had two RBIs on the day, hit a ball off the foul pole in left field for a grand slam to bring the Retrievers’ lead to 12-8.
But Maryland scored two in the eighth, with RBIs coming from Chris Hacopian and Hojnar. In the ninth, Maryland got within one when Hacopian poked a single past the shortstop. Then, Sam Hojnar came up with the bases loaded and got it done with a line drive over the shortstop’s head.
“The guys never believe that they’re down. They proved that again,” Maryland head coach Matt Swope said. “I think it was each guy just handing it off, not trying to do too much.”
Maryland scored once in the first inning, but took a commanding lead when it scored six in the second, batting around the order. The highlight of the frame was Elijah Lambros hitting a two-run home run that barely scraped over the wall.
But UMBC started to claw back in the third inning when Taylor hit an RBI single. The Retrievers also batted around, chasing Terps starting pitcher Ryan Van Buren from the game.
Van Buren only went 2 ⅔ innings, giving up five hits, two walks and striking out out four. He was charged with four earned runs.
Meanwhile, after hitting Eddie Hacopian with the bases loaded, UMBC starter Eddie Sargent retired 10 straight batters, providing the Retrievers more momentum.
It only took until the top of the sixth before UMBC tied the game, with Matt Ryan tattooing a ball off the Varsity Team House in left field for a three-run home run.
“I would say, as a whole, you know, we haven’t had a ton of lulls, you know, so it was it was important that we got the win after facing some of that adversity, losing two in a row,” Swope said. “But just trying to stay positive and understand it’s not always going to be great.”
Meade Johnson struggled with command and left with the bases loaded for Trystan Sarcone, who gave up the go-ahead grand slam and then left with an injury.
“This could be possibly it for him. So, you know, my heart goes out to him right now,” Swope said of Sarcone, unable to provide details on his injury but alluding to its potential severity. “… Obviously, you’re hoping for the best.”
Alex Walsh came in after Sarcone’s injury and finished a long top of the seventh. He then shut down UMBC’s bats by sending the Retrivers down in order in the eighth and ninth innings, keeping the Terps in the game long enough for Hojnar to deliver the game-winning hit.
Three things to know
1. Bullpen disaster. After Van Buren only went 2 ⅔ innings, Maryland’s bullpen was no better. It gave up eight unanswered runs.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s raining — doesn’t matter. … You got to be ready to seize the opportunity when you get your chance,” Swope said. “… That’s like the baseball cardinal sin — being up seven runs and then giving 10 freebies after that.”
2. Hojnar had a day. Maryland’s second baseman went 3-for-6 with six RBIs, including a walk-off single.
“Yeah, it feels good. … You know, not trying to think too much about whether I’m up or down,” Hojnar said. “… Just making sure I do what I can to help the team whether I’m hot or not, and so just trying to stay consistent with those things.”
3. The Terps come back again. For the 12th time this season, Maryland came from behind to win. Wednesday marked the ninth time this season Maryland won on its final at-bat. The Terps are now 8-1 in games decided by one run.