ACC baseball tournament 2014 results: Terps edge Cavaliers 7 - 6

Today's game pitting Maryland against UVA was the first for each team in the 2014 ACCT. The pitching match-up featured Jake Stinnett (6 - 6, 2.53 ERA) vs. RHP Artie Lewicki (5 - 1, 1.43 ERA).

White puts Terps ahead early, but briefly

Charlie White led off the game by slamming a 3 - 2 pitch over the right field fence. Just like that the Terps were on top 1 - 0. In the bottom of the second Nick Howard led off with a single. Derek Fisher hit a high fly to right center that carried enough for a home run. UVA led 2 - 1 . Stinnett's troubles continued as he hit two batters sandwiched around two outs. But he got Papi to swing at an off-speed pitch to end the inning.

Lewicki was sailing along. Through four innings he had let up only two hits, walked none, and struck out three. He had retired the side in order in both the third and fourth innings. Stinnett settled down after the second inning, fooling UVA hitters with his breaking pitches. He stuck out the side in the fourth and looked sharp.

Terps grab the lead again and again

Blake Schmit started the Terps' fifth with a double to left-center field. Tim Lewis lined a double down the left field line and the score was tied. Nick Cieri hit a chopper to second which sent Lewis to third. Anthony Papio hit the first pitch for a fly out that scored Cieri; the Terps were on top 3 - 2. Lewicki hit Kevin Martir, who went to second on a wild pitch. But White grounded out, the first time today he did not hit the ball hard.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth Papi hit a slow roller that Cuas charged but couldn't pick up. Branden Cogswell followed by lining a single to center. Joe McCarthy looked at a called third strike fr the second out. But the next batter was Howard, who was 2 for 2 so far today. Make that three for three as Howard stroked a single to left to tie the game at three all.

LaMonte Wade began the top of the sixth by hitting his first HR of the season. That finished Lewicki, who was replaced by LHP David Rosenberger. The southpaw retired the next three batters. In six innings the Terps had scored four runs on only five hits.

The Cavaliers struck back in the bottom of the inning. John La Prise hit an opposite field single to left. Daniel Pinero laid down a bunt that Martir scooped up and gunned down the runner at second. Brandon Downes hit a high chopper to third that Cuas lept up for and snagged, throwing to first to just nip the runner. However Nate Irving flared a bloop single to right to tie the score. It was the second straight inning that Virginia had produced a two-out RBI.

Terps go yard again and again

It looked like the Terps were going down quietly in their half of the seventh. But with two outs Papio was grazed on the sleeve by a pitch. Martir then launched his third HR of the season over the left field wall. It was the first time this season that the Terps had hit three homers in a game. At the seventh inning stretch Maryland was on top 6 - 4.

Stinnett held the Cavaliers scoreless in the bottom of the seventh. In that inning he notched his 10th strike out of the game. He was one strike out from tying the Maryland season record.

LaMonte Wade opened up the eighth the same way he did in the sixth: hitting a home run over the right field fence. Wade had hit back-to-back homers. The Terps had "only" seven hits, but four were homers and two were doubles.

Maryland makes the lead hold up

Stinnett took the mound in the eighth, having already thrown 111 pitches. La Prise started things with a high bouncer that Lowe snagged but had no real chance of getting the runner. Pinero popped up to Lowe and Downes skied to Papio. Irving grounded to Schmit and the Terps were three outs away from taking the game.

Kevin Mooney came on in the ninth to try to close things out. After Papi flied out, Cogswell hit a double. Then McCarthy hit a home run to make the score 7 - 6. Mooney walked Nick Howard, putting the tying run was on base. Fisher lined a rope that Schmit leaped up for and made the grab. After Mooney fell behind 3 - 0 on La Prise he battled back and ending up striking out the Cavalier for the final out.

It was a victory that no doubt secured a bid to the NCAA Regional. Next up: FSU tomorrow.