Maryland baseball beats Bryant, 4-0, to complete doubleheader sweep

After a stellar performance in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Maryland baseball rode a great pitching performance by freshman Tyler Blohm to shut out Bryant, 4-0, for a weekend sweep. This extends the Terps’ winning streak to eight games ahead of Tuesday’s trip to North Carolina.

Just as in Maryland’s win in the earlier game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Terps scored the game’s first run. Zach Jancarski started out the game with a walk, and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Gum.

The Terps didn’t strike again until the fourth inning, when they tacked on another three runs. Kevin Smith drove home two with an opposite-field double. He then advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a balk by Bryant pitcher Vito Morgese (0-4), who was a game-time decision for the Bulldogs to start.

The Bryant bats were kept silent by Blohm (3-1), who pitched six-plus innings of scoreless baseball, striking out six batters while only giving up three hits. Blohm had a perfect game going into the fourth inning before surrendering a walk and a no-hitter going into the fifth inning before giving up a hit to first baseman Chris Wright.

Along with stellar pitching, Maryland had a lot of help on the base paths. The Terps actually eclipsed their stolen base total from last season in the bottom of the fourth when AJ Lee stole second after a botched pickoff play from Morgese. That was Maryland’s 29th stolen base on the season. The Terps ended up having six stolen bases in the game overall, tying a season-high.

The Maryland bullpen played a big part in the end of the game. Bryant loaded the bases in the eighth inning, but the combination of Ryan Hill and Andrew Miller halted the Bulldogs from scoring. Miller shut the door on the Bulldogs to secure the series sweep in the ninth.

While the Maryland offense wasn't the big story of the game, Jancarski and Kevin Smith still got it done for the Terps. Jancarski picked up where he left off in the first game, going 2-for-4 with a run, a walk and a stolen base, but it was Smith who carried the Maryland offense today. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI, two doubles and a run scored.

Maryland will now take a quick road trip to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. before coming back home for a weekend series against Princeton. All four of those games can be heard on the Maryland Baseball Network.