The Terps faced a massive deficit after four innings and couldn’t come back.
After winning four straight games, Maryland baseball fell back down to Earth on Friday. The Terps had a nightmare start to their first of three games against Charlotte, giving up nine runs in the first four innings and eventually losing, 9-5.
After a great start last week, Maryland right-hander Kenny Lippman didn’t get out of the first inning Friday. Lippman walked three batters — one of which brought in a run — and plunked another to bring another baserunner home. When Rene Lastres hit a sacrifice fly for Charlotte’s third run of the inning, head coach Matt Swope had seen enough. After just one-third of an inning, Lippman was pulled.
Trystan Sarcone came in and got out of the first inning, and then worked a successful second. But in the third, he gave up three runs on two home runs and a run-scoring double.
Duke McCarron made an appearance in the fourth and it did not go well for him either, as he walked all four batters he faced to bring Charlotte’s total to nine.
Evan Smith eventually calmed the storm by not giving up a run in the fourth or the fifth innings, and, in his first appearance of the season, Andrew Johnson followed with three scoreless innings of his own.
After being held scoreless through five innings by Charlotte starting pitcher Cole Reynolds, Maryland did score five runs in the sixth, which offered it a brief glimmer of hope. Elijah Lambros hit a two-run double and Jordan Crossland followed him up with his first career home run, a three-run shot to bring Maryland within five.
But that was all the scoring Maryland could muster, as the Terps were never able to recover from their brutal start.
The Terps will look to redeem themselves on Sunday when they wrap up their series against the 49ers with a doubleheader.
Three things to know
1. Lippman was not himself. Lippman came into Friday’s game with a 1.20 earned run average, but was clear from the jump that he didn’t have it against the 49ers. He gave up three earned runs in just one-third of an inning.
2. Brutal first four innings. At the end of the fourth inning, Maryland was down 9-0. The Terps had gone through four different pitchers, with most of Charlotte’s runs coming from walks.
3. Maryland struck out 19 times. Charlotte had its way with the Maryland lineup. Nineteen Terps were sent down by way of strikeout Friday.