Maryland baseball loses Taylor Bloom pregame, falls to Michigan 10-4

With Taylor Bloom a late scratch, Maryland baseball’s bullpen couldn’t save the day, as the Terps fell to Michigan 10-4 in Ann Arbor.

Bloom was the scheduled starter, but he was scratched after getting hit in the head with a ball in pregame. He underwent concussion protocol and was ruled out for the game before the first pitch.

Instead of Bloom, Mike Vasturia made the first start of his career, but struggled. In the first inning, he allowed an RBI double, a solo home run and a two-run home run, putting the Terps in a four-run hole. Things were a little better in the second, but Vasturia still allowed an RBI single, giving Michigan a 5-0 lead.

In total, Vasturia lasted two innings, allowing five runs—four earned—on four hits and two walks with no strikeouts. To be fair, it is always a tough situation when a pitcher finds out he is making the start about 30 minutes before the game begins.

Grant Burleson relieved Vasturia in the third and pitched well in his outing. In two innings, the lefty held Michigan scoreless, only allowing one hit and one walk with a strikeout.

Maryland’s offense, meanwhile, had a slow start and didn’t get its first hit until a Zach Jancarski single in the fourth. The Terps finally broke through in the fifth, as Justin Morris and Nick Dunn singled, with Marty Costes scoring them both with a two-run double to cut the lead to three.

Elliot Zoellner came in to pitch in the bottom of the fifth after Burleson left the game, but he couldn’t continue the success. Jonathan Engleman and Jesse Franklin executed back-to-back doubles, followed by a Dominic Clementi shift-beating single, and the Wolverines retook a five-run lead. Then, after a Clementi stolen base, Jordan Nwogu brought him in with an RBI single to add another run, which ended Zoellner’s day. Only lasting two-thirds of an inning, Zoellner allowed three runs on four hits.

The Terps’ offense cut back into the Michigan lead in the seventh. After Will Watson and A.J. Lee both walked, Dunn lined a double to right field to score both runners. Michigan starter Tommy Henry lasted 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Billy Phillips, who got the final out of the fifth inning, pitched a scoreless sixth as well. However, he ran out of gas in the seventh, allowing a solo home run to Engleman, making the score 9-4 after seven. However, that homer was the only hit that Phillips allowed in 2.1 total innings, resulting in a strong showing for the lefty. Alec Tuohy pitched the eighth, allowing an an unearned run on two walks.

Maryland will look to rebound against the Wolverines tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, but with the weather forecast calling for rain, that may not come to fruition.