Maryland baseball: No. 16 Terps edged by Iowa 3-1

Today's match-up featured RHP Blake Hickman (4-2) vs. LHP Tayler Stiles (2-2).

Note: LaMonte Wade started in center field today, his first start since his hand injury six weeks ago.

Hickman working on a no-hitter

If you wanted a pitchers' duel, today's game was exactly that. Both starting pitchers were dominant and locked in a fierce battle.

Iowa took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Jake Mangler opened the inning with a double, and was sacrificed to third. Daniel Moriel hit a sac fly to score Mangler. Through six innings, that was it. In fact, Hickman had held the Terrapins hitless, allowing only a single baserunner via a walk.

In the top of the seventh inning, Kris Goodman opened with a walk. That completed Stiles' day, as Ryan Selmer came in to pitch. Nick Roscetti walked, and Nick Day singled to load the bases. Robert Galligan relieved Selmer and struck out the dangerous Eric Toole. Mangler hit a sharp grounder that Kevin Smith dove for and stopped, but injured his shoulder on the play. He stayed in the game, but there were some anxious moments.  Although a run scored, Smith's ability to keep the ball from going to the outfield saved another run from coming home. Tyler Peyton hit into a double play, and the score remained 2-0.

Terrapins finally get on the board, but fall short

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Kevin Martir lined a single to left: it was the first Terrapin hit in the game.  Cuas followed by ripping a single to left-center. The Terps got on the board by Anthony Papio pulling a single through the right side. Hickman was relieved by RHP Nick Hibbing. Jamal Wade struck out, but the Terps had cut the deficit to 2-1.

Bobby Ruse pitched a scoreless eighth. Hibbing did likewise in the bottom of the inning, allowing just a single to Lamonte Wade.

Roscetti led off the ninth with a single to left, and was sacrificed to second. Toole was intentionally walked. When Mangler was declared nipped by a pitch by the umpire, Iowa had the bases loaded with one out. Zach Morris relieved Ruse. Tyler Peyton hit a fly to center field that made the score 3-1. However, Moriel skied out to end the Hawkeye threat.

The Terps went down in order in their half of the ninth to end the game.

Tayler Stiles was the hard-luck loser, falling to 2-3 on the year. The Terps went to 24-9 overall, 8-3 in the B1G.