Today's final game of the series against Princeton pitted the Tigers' freshman RHP Nick Brady (0-0, 7.71 era) vs. Maryland's Bobby Ruse (3-0, 4.15 era). With games scheduled against Elon on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Terps will be playing four games in as many days.
Princeton grabs the lead on a strange call
Maryland took a one-run lead in the second inning. Tim Lewis walked and Nick Cieri singled. Two wild pitches later Lewis scored.
With one out in the third inning Danny Baer walked. He stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Danny Hoy hit an infield single to plate Princeton's first run in the series. When Zach Belski was HBP the bases were loaded with one out. Nick Hernandez hit a pop-up in foul ground that Jose Cuas chased down and caught. But the umpires ruled he was out of play, as Cuas stepped past a gate that was left open. So even though the batter was out, all runners advanced. Princeton led 2-1. The next batter struck out. In the bottom of the inning Kevin Smith singled. With two outs Cuas walked. Lewis singled to center, which brought Smith home to tie the score.
Terps grab the lead for good on Papio's home run, Cieri's double
Anthony Papio led off the bottom of the fourth with an opposite field home run, his fourth of the year and second of the series. The Terps were back on top by 3-2. Ruse retired the side in order in the fifth, notching his eighth strike out in the process.
In the bottom of the fifth the Terps put up a three spot. Kevin Martir doubled and Lewis was HBP. With two outs Cieri blasted a double off the center field wall, driving in two runs for a 5-2 lead. Justin Morris hit a grounder to Hoy, who threw awry: Cieri came around from second to score the sixth Terrapin run.
Taylor Bloom relieved Ruse in the sixth inning. Ruse's line: 5 ip, 2 h, 2r, 2bb, 8 so. Hernandez hit a double to deep center. A two-out single scored Hernandez to cut the Terrapin lead to three runs. Tyler Servais hit a double to put runners on second and third. Tayler Stiles came in to relieve Bloom, who had a leg injury. Stiles struck out the Princeton batter on three pitches.
The Terps broke things open in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brandon Lowe, Smith, and Martir hit consecutive singles. The Terrapins had now scored in five consecutive innings. Martir moved into scoring position by swiping second base. Cuas singled down the right field line to make it 9-3 Terps. A wild pitch eventually allowed Cuas to score the Terps' 10th run.
Zach Morris hurled a scoreless seventh inning. The Terps scored in the bottom of the inning on walk to Zach Jancarski, wild pitch, and an RBI single by Lowe. Maryland struck once more in the eighth on a solo home run by Jamal Wade, his first collegiate hit. John Mazza also got his first collegiate hit, a single to right. Papio doubled. A sac fly by Jancarski made it 13-3.
Robert Galligan pitched the eighth, and Jared Price allowed three runs in the ninth.
Ruse went to 4-0 and the Terrapins now stood at 12-4.