Maryland baseball comes back to beat Army, 6-3, in series finale

Maryland baseball ended its four-game losing streak Sunday afternoon, salvaging the final game of its home weekend series against Army, 6-3.

The Terps (3-4) came from behind to beat the Black Knights (3-4), who went up 3-0 early. Maryland scored in pairs and took advantage of pitching mistakes by Army to cement its first home win of the season and the first home win of head coach Rob Vaughn’s career.

Nick Dunn and Randy Bednar paced Maryland with two RBIs each, going a combined 3-for-6 with three walks. Bednar hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh, his first college home run. In all, the Terps finished with six hits to Army’s five, although walks, errors and hit batsmen gave both teams plenty of baserunners.

The Maryland bullpen came up big, throwing four and one-thirds scoreless innings of baseball to secure the win, after starter Hunter Parsons gave up three runs in four and two-thirds innings of work. Parsons, who entered the game with a 30.86 ERA after a rough start last weekend and a shaky relief appearance Tuesday, shook off some early struggled in this one. John Murphy highlighted the Terps’ bullpen performance, striking out five in two innings of work to close the game out.

Army scored first, putting up a three-spot in the second inning. Parsons lost control in the second, walking two batters and hitting one. Jacob Hurtubise also drove in two with a single to left field.

But Maryland didn’t go away, as the Terps put up a two-spot in the third. Marty Costes led off with a hit by pitch. He then stole two bases before Nick Dunn doubled him in. Dunn would score on a wild pitch after advancing to third on a Taylor Wright fly out.

The Terps took the lead in the fourth with another two-spot. Kevin Biondic led off, tripling off the center field batter’s eye, then scored on a Justin Morris groundout. Army starter Sam Messina walked two batters and hit two batters as Maryland took the 4-3 lead.

Maryland tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, as freshman right fielder Randy Bednar hit his first career college home run to straightaway left field.

The Terps added to their lead in the eighth after an error by the second baseman and three straight walks by Army pitching, and Murphy shut the door in the eighth and ninth, despite throwing 50 pitches in just two innings of work as he walked three.

Maryland will travel to Richmond, Virginia, to play VCU on Wednesday and will travel to Conway, South Carolina, next weekend for the Costal Carolina Tournament.