The Terps led by as many as seven runs.
Maryland baseball twice led Delaware by seven Wednesday, but after failing to score in the final four innings and giving up six unanswered runs, the Terps’ lead was down to one.
With two out and the tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth inning, head coach Matt Swope turned to Logan Berrier to get the save. Delaware senior designated hitter Bryce Greenly, who already had two RBIs on the day, stepped up as the Blue Hens’ final chance. Greenly jumped on the first pitch he saw and hit a ground ball to shortstop, which Kevin Keister scooped up and threw over to first, securing an 11-10 victory for the Terps.
Eddie Hacopian kicked off the scoring when he nailed a solo home run in the first inning, his third homer in the past two games. Maryland tacked on another run in the second inning when Brayden Martin drove in Alex Calarco with an RBI single.
After Maryland starter Meade Johnson allowed an RBI single in the bottom of the frame, one of two runs he allowed in an unexpected start, the Terps responded in a big way.
They put up six runs in the third inning, seemingly enough to put the game away. Delaware starter Nate Rolka allowed three straight batters to reach base before walking in a run, which ended his day. Senior right-hander Wyatt Nelson didn’t fare much better, allowing a runner to score via a wild pitch. Jordan Crosland put an exclamation mark on the big inning with a two-run shot run to left field, giving Maryland an 8-1 advantage.
But as the case in many Maryland game’s this season, no lead is safe. The Blue Hens immediately immediately rallied back, taking advantage of a crucial error. With two outs gone in the bottom of the fourth and runners on the corners, Johnson looked to escape the inning when he forced senior designated hitter Eric Ludman to pop up. Instead, Calarco dropped the ball, looading the bases. That eventually led to an additional two runs, ending Johnson’s day.
Maryland still managed to get the runs back in the fifth, though. Chris Hacopian hit a two-run double before his brother drove him in with a single.
Up seven yet again, the Terps’ bullpen failed it. An 11-4 lead quickly dissipated when Nate Haberthier surrendered a two-run home run to Josearmando Diaz. Habertheir then gave up a walk and a double before Swope had seen enough, stunningly bringing in Kenny Lippman to salvage the damage.
The Terps’ usual Friday night starter retired the next three batters, albeit two being RBI groundouts, and came back in for the sixth. But it wasn’t as pretty for him then, as Diaz knocked in another two-run homer to make it 11-10.
The final peculiar pitching move of the day came in the seventh. With Maryland’s bats asleep, Ryan Van Buren, Tuesday’s expected starter, entered in relief — and he was excellent. He worked consecutive 1-2-3 innings and retired one batter in the ninth before Berrier finished the job.
Three things to know
1. A switch-up at the mound. Swope opted to go with Johnson instead of scheduled starter Van Buren, but the the unexpectedness didn’t end there. Lippman, who has exclusively started Friday night’s this season, got thrown in for two innings Tuesday. It certainly looks like there will be a lot of changes in this weekend’s series against Nebraska.
2. Johnson did his job. Johnson only gave up two earned runs and struck out five in four innings of work. Maryland’s midweek starters have struggled mightily of recent, so Johnson’s solid outing is a positive sight. Still, the bullpen imploding yet again remains problematic.
3. The freshmen impressed. Seven of Maryland’s 11 runs Tuesday were driven in by freshmen. Each of Chris Hacopian, Brayden Martin, Michael Iannazzo and Crosland recorded at least one RBI.