Maryland
West Virginia
Schmoll Strikes Out 15 In Complete Game Shutout
4/1/2003 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 1, 2003
College Park, Md. - Maryland Terrapin fans found out Tuesday night what senior Steve Schmoll (Rockville, Md.) is capable of when the stadium lights stay on.
The starting pitcher threw a six-hit complete game shutout and struck out 15 batters en route to earning his second victory of the year, a 4-0 win over West Virginia.
The last time a Maryland starter pitched a complete game shutout was May 4, 2002, when Sean Kane shut down N.C. State. Schmoll's the first of his career, which is only fitting for the career year the senior is having.
Schmoll (2-3) reached double-digits in strikeouts for the fourth time in four starts, and has racked up 72 on the year while walking just nine. He has struck out 30 and walked one in his last two starts.
Last Tuesday against Navy, Schmoll was throwing a no-hitter through seven innings when Shipley Fields light suddenly shut off. In the eighth, Schmoll was tagged for five runs.
Tonight, facility problems were restricted to a broken popcorn machine. Sitting on the counter of the concession stand, the glass was shattered and popcorn spilled onto the concourse when a Jason Maxey (Columbia, Md.) foul ball found its way into the machine in the second. Sophomore Justin Maxwell (Olney, Md.) provided Schmoll's offensive support, blasting his third home run of the year in the fourth inning, a two-run shot to center that raised his team-leading RBI total to 16.
Senior Daryl Whitmer (Waldorf, Md.) broke out his slump with a 2-for-3 performance, while freshman Mike Costantino (Somerset, Mass.) collected a hit for the 13th time in 15 games.
Schmoll did not allow a hit until the fifth inning, and never allowed a runner past second base in the game. He struck two batters in the first, second, third, fifth, and ninth innings, and struck out the side in the seventh.
He is now 4th all-time on the Terps career strikeout list, and is poised to become the all-time leader. In addition, his strikeouts per nine innings ratio is flirting with ACC and NCAA all-time records.
Shutting out the West Virginia offense was no small achievement, as the team came into the game with six of their nine starters hitting over .300, including Lee Fritz (.482) and Jake Serfass (.434). The Mountaineers have hit 37 home runs in 25 games.
West Virginia starter Tino Medina (1-3), who came into the game with a 6.05 ERA, pitched well for the Mountaineers, striking out eight and allowing three earned runs in six innings. Three of West Virginia's six hits were by slugger Tim McCabe, who is one home run away from becoming the school's career home run leader.
Maryland travels to Williamsburg, Va. to take on the William & Mary Tribe tomorrow at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on the university's student radio station, WMUC, on both 88.1 FM and online at wmucsports.com.
