Maryland
Florida State
No. 1 Florida State Rallies Late, 15-4
5/9/2003 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2003
College Park, Md. - The Maryland Terrapins (19-30, 6-15 ACC) continued to hit well against the ACC's top pitching, but fell on the short end of a 15-4 game to the No. 1-ranked Florida State Seminoles (42-8-1, 14-5).
Maryland hung in the game through seven innings, only down by two, when the Seminoles scored several runs to put the game out of reach.
Terp hitters jumped on starter Trent Peterson (9-1) early, scoring in the first inning to go up 1-0, and putting 12 runners on base against the junior in 6.1 innings.
Maryland has tagged some of the ACC's best pitchers - Kyle Sleeth, Kyle Bakker, Vern Sterry, Joey Devine, Michael Rogers, Tyler Lumdsen, and Peterson - to the tune of a 6.44 earned run average this season.
However, Florida State put up 20 hits for the second straight game as the Seminoles have been red hot at the plate.
Sophomore Chris Clem (4-7) took the loss, giving up a big third inning in which Florida State put up six runs, only three of which were earned. Numerous hits in the inning snuck by just inches short of the diving Terp infielders' gloves.
As Clem got into a groove, the bats put up three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit. Sophomore Joe Sargent (Chesapeake Beach, Md.) led off the inning with a solo home run, his fourth in ACC play, with redshirt senior Ray Gemmill (Silver Spring, Md.) and junior Anthony Buffone (Manalapan, N.J.) driving in two more.
Clem and reliever Matt Basinger (Connellsville, Pa.) held the Seminoles scoreless for four innings, when the Seminoles exploded for nine runs in the final two innings, making a game that was once close appear to be a blowout.
Having big days for Florida State were Tony McQuade (3-for-5, 5 RBI), Jerrod Brown (3-for-6, 1 RBI), Blake Balkcom (2-for-6, 3 RBI), and Stephen Drew (2-for-5, 3 R, 2 BB).
Freshman Mike Costantino (Somerset, Mass.) was 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to six games, one shy of his previous season-best of seven, while sophomore Will Frazier (Mitchellville, Md.) added three hits.
The Terps are trying to win their third three-game series in three weeks, and will give it another go Saturday at 1 p.m. at Shipley Field. Maryland Sen. John A. Gianetti, Jr. will be on hand to deliver the first pitch.
