Maryland baseball’s offense got back on track Saturday, collecting 16 hits en route to a 12-6 win over Bryant.
After getting just one hit in Friday’s series opener, the offensive explosion was a welcome sight for the lineup, as the 16 hits were a season high for the team.
Maryland broke out in the third inning, which started with four straight singles to tie the game at one. After a Marty Costes sac fly gave the Terps the lead, Kevin Biondic doubled and AJ Lee singled to combine for three RBIs. In total, Maryland had five runs on six hits in the inning, a necessary eruption after two subpar performances.
The Terps’ strong third inning knocked Bryant starter Steve Theetge out of the game after one batter in the fourth after allowing five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. However, despite loading the bases with one out, Maryland came out of the inning empty-handed.
Maryland’s offense regained its form in the sixth, starting with a Ty Friedrich double. After already scoring once in the inning, the Terps extended their lead to three when Biondic singled to score Zach Jancarski from third. The Terps continued to pile on in the seventh, including Nick Dunn scoring three on a bases-clearing double, and the eighth, with a Justin Morris RBI single.
In total, Dunn had a monster day, collecting four hits and four RBIs and raising his batting average to .327 on the year and his RBI total to 15. On the flip side, Costes continued his struggles at the plate, ending the day 0-for-2, bringing his average down to .146 for the season. However, he has seen the ball well, walking twice on the day, making it four free passes in the last three games.
Additionally, Rob Vaughn gave Tommy Gardiner the start at third base, and the righted rewarded his manager by going 1-3 with a run while playing good defense. With Taylor Wright struggling, batting under .200 on the season, Gardiner could continue to get starts at the hot corner.
On the pitching side, Tyler Blohm was uneven on the mound. He got off to a slow start in the first, as Bryant scored a run on a delayed double steal in the top of the inning. After a few easy innings, Blohm found more trouble in the fourth, allowing a walk and two singles to score a run. However, the lefty was able to limit the damage to just one run.
Blohm slowed down in the sixth, which would be his last inning of the day. He surrendered a solo home run and RBI double, allowing Bryant to cut Maryland’s lead to one. Blohm left the game after allowing four runs on nine hits with five strikeouts on the day.
Sean Fisher, who has established himself as one of Vaughn’s top setup men, had a rough day in relief, allowing two runs on six hits in two innings. However, Fisher was able to limit damage thanks to two pickoffs at first base. Closer John Murphy also got some work in, allowing two base runners but pitching around them for a scoreless ninth.
Maryland will look for the series victory over Bryant on Sunday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. ET.