Maryland baseball’s comeback falters late in 11-10 loss to No. 12 USC
· Yahoo Sports
On a cold, rainy Friday night, Maryland’s typical weekend-opener starter, Lance Williams, allowed ten runs through three innings against No. 12 USC. The Terps’ bullpen through the final six innings consisted of Andrew Koshy and three freshmen — two who made their collegiate debut.
The four relievers only allowed one Trojan run to give Maryland’s offense the opportunity to catch up — which they nearly did. But the furious comeback effort fell just short, as Maryland lost to USC, 11-10, at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.
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The Terps faced Mason Edwards, the pitcher with the lowest ERA (0.25) and second-most strikeouts (64) in the country. But Edwards walked the first three batters he faced in the first inning and gave up two runs through the first three frames.
Edwards found his groove from there. He recorded seven strikeouts, but he also allowed five walks — his most since Feb. 27 at Cal Poly.
Neither team scored in the second inning, leaving the score 4-1 in favor of the visitors. But in the third, USC built up a huge lead.
Maximo Martinez launched a home run followed by Williams walking Issac Cadena. After Maddox Riske slammed a ground-ball double down the left field line and Williams hit his third batter of the game, Andrew Lamb blasted a grounder down the middle that bounced off second base, bringing in two more runs.
Williams walked his seventh batter of the game, before Auggie Lopez singled to right center to bring home Lamb. Williams was replaced after throwing 105 pitches in 2 2/3 innings, recording two strikeouts and allowing seven walks before he was replaced by junior Andrew Koshy.
“I’m not going to put words in his mouth, but I think Lance would probably say he didn’t have a great deal today,” said head coach Matt Swope.
The Trojans brought in one more run to end the six-run frame — catcher Rylen Stockton threw Auggie Lopez out at second during a steal attempt, but a runner still made his way home.
Edwards recorded two strikeouts back-to-back before hitting Mendez with a pitch. The junior stole second then third on an overthrow to second. Mendez eventually stole home for the Terps second run.
Koshy only allowed one run in the three innings he pitched, recording two strikeouts and two walks. That run he gave up in the fourth inning was the final run USC scored.
Maryland notched two more runs in the bottom of the fifth after Edwards was replaced by Henry Chabot with one out and bases loaded. Chabot walked the next two batters before Sirois grounded into a double play.
Two Terps made their collegiate debut on Friday night. In the top of the seventh inning, freshman Quinn Yellin replaced Koshy. He recorded his first career strikeout and allowed two walks, keeping the Trojans scoreless.
“We’re banged up right now, so we got a lot of injuries going on,” Swope said. “In these situations, you got to give guys opportunities and make them earn it.”
Freshman Peyton Mamula replaced Yellin in the eighth for his first collegiate game as well, and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.
“Those guys are working really hard, so give them a chance, and they took advantage of that opportunity,” Swope said.
Maryland’s offense was out for revenge towards the end of the game, recording six runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
In the bottom of the seventh with one out, catcher Rylen Stockton smashed a 386-foot home run for his fifth of the season — causing the Trojans to bring out their fourth pitcher of the game. Freshman Nate Hawton-Henley singled to left field and with two runners on base, and Sirois stepped up to the plate and blasted a two-run RBI double down the left field line.
A two-run home run by Ryan Costello — his 11th of the season — tightened the Trojans’ deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning. USC went through three pitchers who walked four Terps. Stockton scored on a wild pitch, making it a one-run game.
There was potential for more, as Jackson Sirois came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. But he lined out to center to end the inning.
The Terps failed to bring in any more runs in the bottom of the ninth, losing their sixth straight game and second at home. Maryland faces USC for game two tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
“The comeback’s great and all that stuff, but we have to play better baseball,” Swope said. “We’re competing with the best teams in the country, but we’ve got to win some of these games to be respectable.”
Three things to know:
1. Maryland’s bullpen is improving. Swope stated that a couple of injuries in the bullpen are allowing opportunities for others. The Terps put in three freshmen on Friday night — they allowed zero runs, recorded two strikeouts and only allowed two walks facing 12 batters.
2. More runs. The Terps have averaged four runs per game in their previous five losses. On Friday night, Maryland recorded 10 runs, the most since its win against Purdue on March 15.
3. Takedown of No. 1 pitcher. Maryland took down one of the best pitchers in the country and caused USC to run through its bullpen. Not only did Edwards allow his most walks in a game (4) but he also allowed his most runs (2) on Friday night against the Terps. After Edwards was replaced in the fifth inning, USC went through six pitchers and none could stop Maryland’s comeback.