Maryland baseball falls to Purdue, 7-1

Maryland’s offense left 10 men on base and its pitching allowed seven runs in two innings in an 7-1 loss to Purdue.

The Terps seemed out of sync all day, as Mark DiLuia had to consistently work out of his own jams while the offense couldn’t string together rallies. Purdue’s four runs in the second and three in the ninth were more than enough.

It didn’t help that Marty Costes missed this one. After the junior broke team rules, Maryland suspended him for this weekend series, and head coach Rob Vaughn said he will be back with the team on Monday.

In the first, AJ Lee hit a leadoff double to get Maryland going. When Nick Dunn lined out to right field, Lee tagged up and originally beat the throw to third. However, after Purdue appealed to second, the umps determined Lee left early. This set the tone for a sloppy day for Mayland, as the Terps got two more runners on in the inning, but Randy Bednar struck out to end the threat.

DiLuia, who got the nod because of Taylor Bloom’s concussion, ran into trouble in the second. After Ben Nisle singled, Evan Warden doubled past a diving Will Watson in left field. DiLuia then walked a batter before allowing another double, scoring two more due to Zach Jancarski misplaying the ball in center. Finally, Purdue scored again on a single to right, touching DiLuia for four total runs in the inning.

The Terps tried to answer in the second, getting two on and no outs, with both runners moving into scoring position after a Chris Alleyne sac bunt. However, after a Justin Vought strike out, Lee attempted a suicide squeeze, but couldn’t beat the throw to first, and Maryland came up empty-handed in the inning.

DiLuia continued to work in and out of trouble. In the fifth, Purdue singled and got a man on via hit by pitch, when Lee bobbled a would-be inning-ending double play to load the bases. However, DiLuia induced a line drive double play to third, keeping the score 4-0. In the sixth, he allowing two more baserunners, but again escaped without allowing a run.

He wasn’t great, but DiLuia kept Purdue from blowing the game open in five of his innings. He lasted six frames in total, allowing four runs on eight hits with five walks and four strikeouts.

Maryland got its first run in the bottom of the sixth. Jancarski doubled, and Watson singled to move Jancarski to third. After two Maryland strikeouts, Lee singled to center, scoring Jancarski and making the score 4-1. However, the Terps couldn’t get any more runs across.

Purdue starter Tanner Andrews bent but didn’t break against Maryland. He allowed one run on 11 hits with two walks and nine strikeouts through seven innings.

Grant Burleson relieved DiLuia in the seventh and allowed a hit and a hit-by-pitch in two innings of work without allowing a run. Alec Tuohy pitched the ninth, and didn’t have the same success. After loading the bases, Tuohy allowed a bases-clearing double, giving Purdue a six-run lead in the game.

Costes not playing in the game was a big reason why the Terps offense couldn’t break through. Despite struggling for most of the year, Costes still represents one of Maryland’s most important players, and the team won’t be able to make a late-season run without him.

Additionally, the Terps’ defense had a rough afternoon. It only recorded two errors, but it gave Purdue extra chances on more than two defensive mistakes all game.

Maryland looks to bounce back against Purdue on Saturday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET.

This story has been updated to reflect Costes’ suspension as the reason for his absence from the lineup.