Maryland
New York Tech
Terps Cruise To Fourth Straight With 11-0 Win
4/5/2003 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 5, 2003
College Park, Md. - Junior Anthony Buffone (Manalapan, N.J.) had a career-high four hits and four runs batted in as Maryland (10-17, 0-8 ACC) cruised to their fourth straight victory, an 11-0 win over New York Tech (5-13).
Buffone had a bases-loaded, two-RBI single in the first and doubled in two more in the fourth for the Terps, who recorded their largest margin of victory since May 2002.
The utility player, who has played every position on the diamond this year except shortstop and centerfield and started 37 games in a row, had two doubles and moved into a four-way tie for ninth on the Terps all-time doubles list.
Five Terrapin pitchers combined on the five-hit shutout, the Terps' third shutout this season and second this week. Starter Chris Clem (2-4) led the way, scattering four hits over five innings and striking out three. Seth Overbey, Josh Andrews, Brooks Norris and Justin Hulse each recorded a scoreless inning.
The Terps have allowed just two runs and eight hits so far in the weekend series, which concludes tomorrow. By winning the first two games, Maryland has already locked up their first three-game series of the year, and will send senior Steve Schmoll (Rockville, Md.) to the mound as they try for their first three-game sweep since taking three from N.C. State last season.
The win also pushes Maryland's non-conference record to above .500 (10-9) for the first time this season.
Chris Perez (1-4) took the loss for the visiting Bears, walking the first three batters he faced and never getting back on track. He gave up six runs (three earned) in three innings before giving way to relievers.
The news didn't get any better after the game for New York Tech, who found out that shortstop Mike Gaffney has a broken left hand.
Gaffney, who leads the team with a .393 batting average and was selected last year by the Florida Marlins in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft, was hit by a Matt Basinger (Connellsville, Pa.) pitch in the ninth inning of Friday's game and had X-rays taken on Saturday afternoon.
Gaffney was replaced in the lineup by freshman Mike MacMillan, who went 0-for-4.
Maryland scored three runs in a wild third inning that featured two hits, two errors, and two wild pitches. Freshman Mike Costantino (Somerset, Mass.) reached base on a single that ricoched off of Perez into right field, and Perez returned the favor by plunking sophomore Justin Maxwell (Olney, Md.).
The next batter, Buffone, reached on first baseman Tim Smith's errant throw to second for a fielder's choice; MacMillan then fired home to get Costantino, but the throw sailed to the backstop, allowing Maxwell and Buffone to advance and Costantino to score. Both runners would score on two successive wild pitches.
For the first time in four games, Maxwell did not hit a home run for the Terps, but the centerfielder had an RBI-infield single and has drove in a runner in four games in a row. Maryland emptied the bench, getting 15 players into the game, including sophomore Jordan Wilson (Frederick, Md.), who collected his first hit of the year, and freshman Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.), who drove a two-RBI double to left field.
Maryland wraps up the series tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., the third of eight consecutive games the Terps will play at home. Schmoll is expected to take the hill for the Terps, while Andrew Karkoulas is expected to toe the rubber for the Bears.
