Maryland baseball: No. 17 Terps cream No. 18 Cornhuskers, 8-3, 8-2

Today's first game of the double header featured the No. 18 Nebraska Cornhuskers sending RHP Chase Sinclair (4-3, 7-0 career B1G record, 3.45 era) to the mound vs. the Terrapins' Mike Shawaryn (6-0, 2.11 era).

Game One

Both teams score in the first inning

Leading off, Ryan Boldt lined a single to left. On a hit and run, Jake Schleppenbach hit a grounder through the right side. A force out to Brandon Lowe plated Boldt. With two outs and a runner on third, Austin Darby smoked a rope that first baseman Justin Morris leapt and snared to prevent further damage.

Maryland struck back in the bottom of the first inning. Kevin Smith singled to right. With two outs, Jose Cuas lined a single. Nick Cieri followed that with a solid single to tie the score.

Terps score twice more with two out hits, but Nebraska responds

Shawaryn settled down after the game's first two hitters, mowing down 12 straight Nebraska batters. Things were quiet for the Terrapins until two outs in the fourth. Morris walked, Kengo Kawahara sliced a single to left, and Brandon Lowe's shallow fly fell in for an RBI single. In the next inning, the Terps got their third run with two outs when Cieri homered to right.

Things were going quietly for Shawaryn until there were two outs in the top of the sixth. Schleppenbach singled, and Ben Miller doubled. When Anthony Papio had a bit trouble fielding Miller's hit, Schleppenbach came around to score. The Terps still led, but it was by a 3-2 score. Shawaryn issued his only free pass in the seventh, but nothing came of it.

Terps squeeze out a B1G lead

Lowe opened the bottom of the seventh with his second single of the game. Smith bunted, and reliever Max Knutson threw wildly over the first baseman's head. Lowe came around to score, and Smith was on second. Martir lined a double to make the score 5-2. Cuas walked, and Cieri sacrificed the runners into scoring position. Tim Lewis and Anthony Papio executed back-to-back suicide squeeze plays to give Maryland a 7-2 lead.

After the first batter walked in the top of eighth, Rob Galligan relieved Shawaryn. The final line for Shawaryn: 7ip, 5h, 3r, 2bb, 6so. After a popout, Schleppenbach singled to right. Headley followed with a single to center, making it 7-3. However, Galligan got out of the jam without further damage.

The Terps scored a run in their half of the eighth. Lowe was HBP, sacrificed to second, and came around when Martir hit a wormburner that that was misplayed by Nebraska's second baseman. In the ninth, Galligan got three ground outs to finish up the game.

Mike Shawaryn got the victory to go to 7-0, while Chance Sinclair suffered his first loss in the B1G.

Game Two

The second game of today's double-header featured a pair of southpaws: Nebraska's Kyle Kubat (4-0, 1.33 era) vs. Maryland's Tayler Stiles (2-2, 3.81 era).

Maryland scores three in the first

Lowe led off with a single. One out later, Martir hit a sharp single to center. When Cuas got an infield hit, the bases were loaded.  A force out by Cieri scored a run. Then Lewis lined a single that brought home two more Terrapin runs.

Stiles sailed through the first three innings, allowing only two hits and striking out four Cornhuskers. In the bottom of the inning, Lowe jumped on the first pitch to launch a no-doubter: Maryland was up 4-0.

Nebraska got on the board in the fourth inning. Tanner Lubach and Scott Schreiber singled. With two outs, Austin Darby blooped a single to right to make the score 4-1. However, Stiles responded by retiring the side in order in the fifth.

Terps build a substantial lead

In the bottom of the fifth, the Terps put together some two-out lightning. Martir singled down the right field line and Cuas singled up the middle. Cieri hit a sharp grounder that also went through the middle, scoring Martir. A passed ball allowed Cuas to score, making it 6-1. When Lewis walked, Nebraska brought in Austin Christensen to pitch. Prior to this game, Kubat had given up only seven earned runs all year. Today the Terps scored six off him (five earned).

The Terps stretched their lead to 7-1 in their half of the sixth inning. Morris was HBP. Kawahara hit a grounder to first, with Morris taking second. Lowe then stroked his third hit of the game, an RBI single. In the seventh, the Terps upped the score to 8-1. Cuas singled, stole second, and went to third on a ground out. Lewis hit a hard grounder and the throw home was a tad late.

Stiles continued befuddling the Cornhuskers, for his second straight impressive outing. His line: 7ip, 6h, 1r, 0bb, 8so. Ryan Selmer came in to pitch the eighth. He blanked Nebraska in that inning, and gave up a meaningless run in the ninth.

Tayler Stiles' record was now 3-2. The Terps are 21-7 overall, 6-2 in the B1G.