Maryland baseball: Shawaryn pitches a gem, Terps win 4 - 1 and take the series

It was a picture perfect day for baseball today, quite a change from previous weeks where things were a bit chilly. Today's game featured Maryland's Mike Shawaryn (6 - 2, 2.77 ERA) vs. GA Tech's LHP Devin Stanton (3 - 1, 2.58 ERA). Stanton has been lights outs recently. He threw six scoreless innings two weeks ago against Duke, and did the same last week against FSU.

Terps draw first blood but could have had more

Shawaryn struck out the side swinging in the first.

In the Terrapins' half of the first Charlie White led off with a walk, then Brandon Lowe looped a single to center. LaMonte Wade waked to load the bases with none out. Blake Schmit hit into a double play, but Maryland led 1 - 0. Jose Cuas grounded out and Stanton escaped a major threat.

Shawaryn breezed through the second, garnering his fourth strike out in the process.

Kyle Convissar started out the Terps' second with an infield hit. Tim Lewis sacrificed him to second. Convissar went to third on a wild pitch. But Stanton got out of a jam once again by striking out Kevin Martir and getting Michael Montville to scorch a shot that the third baseman made a great play on.

In the top of the third Keenan Innis blooped a double down the left field line. But it was to no avail as Shawaryn struck out the next three batters. He was throwing strikes, mixing his off-speed pitches in with his fastball to great effect.

White led off the bottom of the third by lacing a double to right field. Lowe sacrificed White to third. Wade flew out to shallow left and Schmit grounded to third: for two straight innings the Terps had a runner on third with one out and couldn't bring him home.

With two outs in the top of the fourth Thomas Smith hit a double in the left-center field gap. A. J. Murray hit a fly out to the warning track that White ran down. Maryland hurlers had shut out the Yellow Jackets for 12 consecutive innings.

Each team pushes across a run

Connor Justus was HBP to start off the top of the fifth. Innis laid down a bunt and just beat Wade to the bag. Elliott Barzilli bunted right back to Shawaryn, who threw to third to get the lead runner. Mitch Earnest popped out to third and Daniel Spingola fanned. Shawaryn had gotten out of a two on, no out jam. After four and a half innings the Terps clung to a 1 - 0 lead.

Martir lined a double down the line. Montville advanced Martir to third. A wild pitch brought Martir home with the second Terp run. White hit the next pitch for a single. Lowe followed with an infield hit. Wade hit a sharp grounder right at Mott Hyde, which unfortunately ended up being a double play.

In the GA Tech sixth Hyde singled to center. Gonzalez bunted Hyde over to second. With two outs Murray hit a blooped a single to left that scored Hyde.

Schmit led off the Terps' sixth with a double. Cuas drew a walk and the Terps had two runners aboard. Convissar bunted the runners to second and third. Lewis was intentionally walked to load the bases. That ended Stanton's day. Coming in to pitch was RHP Jonathan Roberts. Martir lined directly to the shortstop who threw on to third for the double play.

Can the Terps hang on and prevail?

Bobby Ruse was on the hill for Maryland in the seventh. Shawaryn's line: six innings, five hits, one HBP, one run, and a career-high nine strike outs. Ruse got the first two batters to ground out, but he walked the nine-hole hitter. That brought in Ben Brewster to face the left-handed hitting Spingola. On Brewster's first pitch Spingola grounded out.

With two outs in the Terrapins' seventh Lowe singled. LHP Sam Clay relieved Roberts. Wade laced the first pitch down the right field line for a double. RHP Dusty Isaacs, the Jackets' closer, came in to face Schmit. Isaacs got Schmit to ground out.

Kevin Mooney came on for the Terps to start the eighth inning. Hyde hit a liner that Lowe dove for and knocked down but had no play on. Matt Gonzales singled through the middle. Thomas bunted the runners to second and third. Murray was intentionally walked and the bases were loaded. On a 3 - 2 pitch Justus hit a chopper up the middle that Schmit snagged, stepped on second, and threw on to first for the double play.

Cuas led off the bottom of the inning by hitting a shot to the right-center field gap for a double. Convissar hit a grounder that the third baseman booted. The Terrapins had runners on the corner with no outs. Lewis singled to center and the Terps led 3 - 1. Martir sacrificed the runners to second and third. Anthony Papio, who came in as a defensive replacement, laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to put the Terps on top 4 - 1.

In the ninth, Innis drew a lead-off walk. Barzilli flied out and Earnest struck out, as did Spingola. The Terps took the game and the series.

With the win Mike Shawaryn was now 7 - 2. Kevin Mooney picked up his seventh save. The Terrapins moved to 24 - 13 overall, 9 - 10 in the ACC.