The Terps are still without a three-game series win.
After a dominant mercy-rule win on Saturday, Maryland baseball failed to carry that momentum into Sunday’s game.
The Terps struggled to find an offensive rhythm early, while the Hoosiers capitalized on errors and delivered timely hits. Indiana notched 12 runs in the final three innings, downing the Terps, 15-5, in eight innings to secure the series victory in Bloomington, Indiana.
“The energy was great, it just kind of got away from us,” head coach Matt Swope said. “But I was really happy with the week overall.”
The Terps went down quietly in the top of the first inning, failing to register a hit despite reaching base on an Indiana fielding error.
Indiana wasted no time putting pressure on Maryland starter Jake Yaeger, though. Leadoff hitter Will Moore doubled and later scored on a wild pitch, giving Indiana a 1-0 lead.
Maryland had a chance to respond in the second inning after a single from Alex Calarco, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
Indiana added another run in the third inning, when Moore walked and scored on a single from Korbyn Dickerson, forcing Yaeger out of the game in favor of Logan Hastings.
Maryland finally got on the board in the fourth inning, as Calarco launched his first of two home runs of the day — a solo shot to right field.
Only up by a run, the Hoosiers struck again in the fifth inning with another long ball to push their lead to 3-1. Maryland stranded runners on second and third in the top half of the inning.
Calarco’s second homer of the game, a two-run blast in the sixth inning, cut the Hoosiers’ lead to 4-3, providing hopes of a comeback. But Indiana delivered a significant response in the bottom of the inning. It erupted for five runs on six hits, including three home runs from Dickerson, Jake Hanley and Tyler Cerny, extending its lead to 8-3.
Maryland scraped together two more runs in the seventh inning on a two-run RBI from Chris Hacopian, but Indiana answered again with two runs of its own.
Nearing the mercy rule, the Terps went down quietly in the top of the eighth inning, leaving room for Indiana to put the game away. The Hoosiers plated five runs to secure a 10-run lead, highlighted by a walk and a three-run homer.
“I don’t mind the hits, we just have to limit the freebies,” Swope said. “I think we had 9 or 10 freebies, we can’t really win college baseball like that.”
Calarco led Maryland’s offense with two home runs and three RBIs. However, Maryland’s pitching staff struggled throughout the day, surrendering 17 hits and six walks. Hastings took the loss, falling to 3-5 on the season.
“For the most part, Logan did a great job,” Swope said. “He got kind of tired, but that’s on me for leaving him in one inning too long. But he gave us a great outing to keep us in the game.”
With the defeat, Maryland dropped the series, 2-1. The Terps look to bounce back when they return home for a midweek matchup against Towson before continuing conference play.
Three things to know
1. Calarco stays hot. Calarco continues to be a consistent power threat for Maryland. Throughout the series, he launched three home runs and knocked in eight RBIs. He now leads the team in RBIs.
2. Plenty of mercy rules. In each of the Terps’ last four series, there has been at least one mercy rule, with two coming this weekend.
3. Pitching struggles resurface. Maryland’s bullpen couldn’t contain Indiana’s offense, allowing a combined 15 runs on 17 hits. The Terps gave up five home runs, a contrast from Saturday’s dominant pitching, which saw Indiana total just four runs on seven hits.