Maryland baseball suffers 13-2 rout at hands of Hoosiers

The Maryland Terrapins and Indiana Hoosiers baseball squads met Saturday afternoon in the middle game of a three game series at Bod "Turtle" Smith Stadium in College Park. Weather wise, the day was among the best the Terps have had on their home slate in the 2015 campaign - 70 degrees with a smattering of clouds and the wind blowing in from right field. The Hoosiers enjoyed the day pounding out a 13-2 win.

Terps fall behind early

Rob Galligan got the start for Maryland and, just as they had Friday night, Indiana jumped on the Terps starter.for a pair of runs in the top of the first. Galligan suffered some control issues issuing a leadoff walk to Casey Rodrigue who moved to second on a wild pitch and came around to score when Nick Ramos scorched a double down the left field line. Ramos also moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out to first. Once again, Maryland would have to battle from behind facing 1 2-0 deficit at the end of half an inning.

Both Galligan's clash with finding the strike zone and Maryland's battle with  playing sound fundamental baseball continued in the top of the second and the Hoosiers continued to make the Terps pay. Galligan issued a lead off walk to Will Nolden.. After an outstanding over the shoulder grab by catcher Kevin Martir on an attempted sacrifice bunt for the first out, Isaiah Pasteur lifted a line drive toward the gap in right-center. Anthony Papio seemed to have a bead on the ball but misplayed it for an error putting runners at the corners.

Pasteur moved up on a wild pitch and moved to third as Nolden scored on Rodrigue's infield single. With runners on the corners, Galligan caught Rodrigue breaking early for second but the Terps needed one more throw than should have been necessary to record the out and Pasteur scored as Maryland second baseman Brandon Lowe tagged Rodrigue. Indiana had a 4-0 lead on two hits with half of their runs of the unearned variety.

Terps get on the board but...

Maryland struggled early with junior starter Kyle Hart managing just a single and walk in their first three at bats but finally began to figure out the lefty in the bottom of  the fourth. Lowe led off with a single to right and Martir got the Terrapins on the board with an opposite field double into the right field corner as Lowe came around all the way from first to score without drawing a throw. The single run was all the Terps could muster as Hart settled in to retire the next three Maryland batters.

Galligan gave the run back in the top of the fifth. Pasteur, a Westminster native who had victimized his home state school on Papio's second inning error smacked a home run off the bubble in left field leading off the inning. Galligan's day ended after Ramos pulled his second double of the day over the bag at third. Bobby Ruse gave up an RBI single to left center to Indiana catcher Brad Hartong who was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double.

Austin Foote powers through a sixth inning threat

The Terps gave Holt, who was on a limited pitch count coming off a shoulder injury, just what he needed to get through the fifth inning as they went down in order on just five pitches. Designated hitter Kevin Smith greeted reliever Austin Foote with a line drive single to right in the home sixth. Martir followed one out later with a double off the fence in right but Maryland could kick up no further action as Foote struck out Cuas and Papio and the Terrapins continued to trail 6-1 through six complete.

Jamal Wade, pinch hitting for Tim Lewis, put another on the board for Maryland with a drive over the fence in left center. Foote then hit Kevin Biondic but the Terps' stranded the first baseman at third.

Ruse, who had retired seven straight after giving up the the single to Hartong, faded in the seventh and the Hoosiers put up another multi-run inning. By the time the frame ended, the combination of solid Hoosier hitting and some lackadaisical play by Maryland that contributed to one of Indiana's hits and at least one of the seven runs they scored in the eighth.

The Terps went quietly in their final two at bats.With the 13-2 loss, Maryland falls to 11-6 in Big Ten play and 32-15 overall. Indiana, looking to squeeze into the eighth and final spot available for a place in the B1G Tournament, improves to 25-19 and 8-10 in conference play.

The Terps will look to salvage one game when they take the field at 11 am Sunday. It will be senior day with a ceremony celebrating the careers of Bobby Ruse and Tim Lewis to take place at 10:40.