Maryland
Wake Forest
Terps Tag Sleeth, No. 14 Wake, But Can't Hold On
3/14/2003 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2003
College Park, Md. - The Maryland Terrapins (5-9, 0-1 ACC) lost in the top of the ninth for the second time in a week, chasing No. 14 Wake Forest's star pitcher Kyle Sleeth but ultimately losing their grip on one of the Terps most dramatic games this season.
Ultimately, the catalyst was a misplay by left fielder Will Frazier (Mitchellville, Md.) on a routine fly ball to start the ninth. That play would prove devastating as the Demon Deacons (11-5, 1-0 ACC) mounted a two-out rally and claimed a 5-4 victory.
Sleeth, who has now gone 37 appearances - 26 starts - without a loss, gave up three runs to the Terps and exited after five innings.
The Terps looked good in their first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the year, led by senior Todd Ainsworth (Hershey, Pa.), who pitched tremendously in giving the Terps six strong innings before leaving with runners on second and third in the seventh. Wake scored both runners on a single by slugger Jamie D'Antona to tie the game.
The Terps then took the lead in the bottom of the eight on a clutch RBI single by junior Anthony Buffone (Manalapan, N.J.), and seemed poised to steal a game from the Demon Deacons, who swept Maryland in three games last year.
With Saturday's schedule starter Sean Kane (West Chester, Pa.) coming in for the save, Wake's Adam Bourassa reached second on the dropped ball by Frazier and took third on a single by Ryan Hubbard to start the inning.
It appeared as though tragedy had been averted as Buffone made an incredible diving stab on a line drive and tagged first to complete a double play. But D'Antona would again come through for the Demon Deacons, driving in Bourasssa from third to tie the game.
Kane then walked Chris Getz with the bases loaded for the winning run. All of the runs were unearned.
Justin Maxwell (Olney, Md.) was the Terps' offensive sparkplug, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two stolen bases. As a team, Maryland struck out 14 times, including a called strike three on Daryl Whitmer (Waldorf, Md.) with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. Wake had offensive problems of their own, stranding 12 runners.
The game had the makings of a pitchers' duel, as Ainsworth and Sleeth matched each other pitch-for-pitch until the fifth, when the Terps scored three runs thanks to an RBI double by Maxwell and a Sleeth wild pitch.
Tonight's loss was the second to come in the late-innings in a week, losing a 9-7 heartbreaker to Marist after a 7-run ninth inning rally last Friday. Wake looked vulnerable in the win, coming off a 26-8 victory over Wofford on Wednesday but losing to Liberty and LeMoyne.
The Terps and Demon Deacons will square off again tomorrow, a 1 pm game at Shipley Field.
