Alex Calarco hit his 10th home run of the campaign.
Maryland baseball’s offense failed to get a hit in the first two innings, but everything changed in the third. The Terps exploded for seven runs — including three home runs — to take a 7-0 lead.
That wasn’t the end of the dominance, as Maryland cruised to a 13-3 victory over UCLA in seven innings due to the new Big Ten mercy rule.
Freshman Logan Hastings made his second start for the Terps (8-6, 1-1 Big Ten), throwing six innings. He has been one of Maryland’s most reliable arms.
While Hastings has pitched well in both starts, he has done it in different ways. In his first start on March 2 against Wake Forest, he struck out seven batters and walked six. On Saturday, he allowed just three runs on nine hits and three strikeouts, relying on contact to get outs.
“He’s someone that attacks,” head coach Matt Swope said. “His two breaking balls are really tough on hitters. He’s got a slider and a curveball, and he adds in the change up [to lefties].”
The first two innings were quiet for both sides, as each team only put two runners on base.
Hastings continued to impress in the third, pitching a 1-2-3 inning. He forced all three UCLA (11-4, 1-1 Big Ten) batters to ground out in the infield.
The Terps’ offense came alive in the bottom half of the inning. With senior Elijah Lambros on second, third baseman Eddie Hacopian started the rally. He drove a no-doubt home run over the center field wall to put the Terps on the board. It was followed up by a two-run Alex Calarco shot to put the Terps up 3-0.
It was the catcher’s 10th deep shot of the season. He has kept up his incredible pace, ranking among the top three in the nation in home runs and RBIs.
First baseman Hollis Porter became the third Terp in four batters to hit a home run, launching the ball over the right-center field wall. It gave Maryland a 5-0 lead for the second straight day.
Logan Wilson made up for his second inning blunder — he struck out on a pitch clock violation — with an RBI double down the first-base line, scoring Jacob Orr. Lambros drove in Wilson two pitches later with a slow roller between the Bruins’ third baseman and shortstop to extend the lead to 7-0.
Hastings followed up with his second straight 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, pumping himself up with his second strikeout to close out the inning.
After Chris and Eddie Hacopian failed to get on base in the bottom half of the fourth inning, Maryland responded with a two-out rally. UCLA reliever Luke Rodriguez pitched around Calarco, putting him on first. Then, Porter ripped a double off the wall. Orr knocked in both runners on the next at bat with a single up the middle, extending the lead to 9-0.
UCLA finally did some damage against Hastings, putting its first run on the board as left fielder Dean West singled to right field.
However, Chris Hacopian responded with a two-run shot to left center — his fifth home run of the season despite missing four games — stretching the Terps’ lead to 11-1.
The Bruins chipped away at the Terps’ lead in the top of the sixth inning, as Hastings cooled off. UCLA added two runs on four hits to cut the deficit to eight runs, but this wasn’t the case for long. Orr opened the bottom half with a well-hit double to right field, while Wilson’s second RBI double of the day put the Terps back up nine.
Brayden Martin tacked on another Maryland run, as the lead stretched back to 13-3.
Maryland closed it out in the top of the seventh, as senior Omar Melendez got out of the jam. He allowed no runs, and the Terps’ 10-run lead forced the mercy rule.
“I think our expectations are limitless,” Chris Hacopian said. “We have a very good team. I think we just need to continue to play hard, day by day. Every game we’ve lost we’ve had the chance of winning, so just putting it all together.”
Three things to know
1. Hastings’s first win. Hastings earned his first collegiate victory in his outing against UCLA.
2. Chris Hacopian is back. Chris Hacopian returned after missing four games due to a back injury Friday. He played the field for the first time in Saturday’s win, going 2-of-3 at the plate with a home run.
3. Mercy rule. The Big Ten mercy rule came into effect Saturday. It ends the game when a team has a 10-plus run lead through seven innings.