The Terps won their first game under Matt Swope.
Maryland baseball erased a three-run deficit Friday in its first game under Matt Swope, defeating Georgia Southern, 5-4.
Maryland had to wait until the ninth inning to take the lead. Right fielder Jacob Orr singled through the left side and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman left fielder Brayden Martin. Georgia Southern’s Jake Martin then threw a passed ball, advancing Orr to third.
After a Chris Hacopian walk, second baseman Sam Hojnar — in his first game with the Terps after transferring from Iowa — drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.
Maryland sent Kenny Lippman to the mound to start the season, and he got off to a hot start with three scoreless innings. But he then ran into some trouble.
An error by Terps first baseman Eddie Hacopian was followed by a walk and a bunt single to load the bases. Lippman then walked Daniel Haab give the Eagles their first run.
Things didn’t get any better for Lippman shortly after, as a passed ball allowed JD Kaiser to take home and double Georgia Southern’s lead. Lippman was pulled at the end of the inning, having given up one hit, two runs — neither earned — walking five batters and recording five strikeouts in four innings.
In the fifth, Kaiser drove in Josh Tate with a sacrifice fly off Logan Berrier, who came in to relieve Lippman and threw an impressive four innings in his Maryland debut. Despite giving up runs in his first two frames, Berrier stayed strong and kept the Terps in the game. He earned the win, giving up five hits, two runs, one walk and striking out five.
For Georgia Southern, Thomas Higgins threw five scoreless innings and had his way with Maryland, only giving up four hits and striking out two batters. But when Eagles head coach Rodney Hennon decided to go to his bullpen, things weren’t as smooth.
Maryland finally got on the board in the sixth inning, as Hojnar tripled off Jacob Phillips and Kevin Keister drove him in with a single for the Terps’ first run of the season, making it 3-1.
Now 4-1 in the seventh, Orr hit a two-run home run to cut Georgia Southern’s lead to one. That set up Devin Russell to deliver the game-tying single in the following inning, driving in Eddie Hacopian.
After Hojnar’s sacrifice fly, Nate Haberthier entered to close the game for the Terps. Despite throwing a wild pitch to put a Georgia Southern baserunner in scoring position, Haberthier was able to finish off Maryland’s first win of the season with the help of a game-saving catch by Martin.
Georgia Southern’s Jake Martin ended up earning the loss, throwing 1 2⁄3 innings and giving up two runs — one earned — and three hits.
After a gutsy first win of the season, Maryland will look to do it again Saturday at 2 p.m. when it faces the Eagles in the second contest of the three-game series.
Three things to know
1. Orr impressed. Starting in right field, Orr went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the first game of his junior season.
2. Swope’s first win. A former player and longtime assistant, Swope was named Maryland’s head coach shortly after Rob Vaughn left for Alabama in the offseason. He made his presence known to the umpires when Hojnar wasn’t granted time in the seventh inning and is now 1-0 at the helm of the program.
3. Martin’s debut. Martin was one of two freshmen in Maryland’s lineup Friday night, the other being third baseman Chris Hacopian. But Martin, who hit leadoff, stole the show with a game-ending catch in his debut, also recording his first career hit.