Feb. 19, 2005

Final Stats

WILMINGTON, N.C. - After winning the first game of three-game weekend series with a 12-run, 19-hit outburst on Friday, the Maryland baseball team used strong pitching and tight defense to beat UNC-Wilmington 4-2 on Saturday. Maryland moved to 3-1 on the season for the program's best start since 1996 and won its third straight game. The Terps will look for the series sweep tomorrow at 2 p.m., with senior right-hander Sean Kane facing UNCW's Thomas Benton.

Maryland starter Ben Pfinsgraff (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) went nose-to-nose with the Seahawks' Ronald Hill, one of the nation's winningest pitchers from 2004, and prevailed with his second strong outing of the season. Freshman Brett Cecil threw four innings of hitless relief to extend his scoreless inning streak to six and pick up his second career save.

Truan Mehl led the Terps' offensive charge with two hits and a timely RBI double, and Jordan Wilson drove in two runs, his fourth and fifth RBI of the series.

After a scoreless first three innings in which the Maryland offense was held hitless, the Terp bats again broke out in the fourth inning (six runs in the fourth yesterday) to take a 2-0 lead. Mehl got the rally started with a one-out single up the middle, and Justin Maxwell followed with a hard groundball single through the left side. Will Frazier grounded into a fielder's choice, putting runners on first and third for Jordan Wilson. Wilson, the team's top run producer in 2005, moved his season RBI total to six with a hard double to deep right-center field. Truan Mehl scored from third, and Will Frazier scored from first on the play, giving the Terps a 2-0 lead.

UNCW responded in the bottom half of the inning, as third baseman Matt Poulk scored on a wild pitch by Terrapin starter Ben Pfinsgraff. Poulk extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double down the right field line to lead off the inning, moved to third on a groundball to the right side, then scored on the wild pitch.

Maryland upped its lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth, with Truan Mehl driving in his third RBI of the season. Mehl laced a double to right-center field to plate third baseman Jason Von Behren, who had reached and advanced to third base on a dropped fly ball by UNCW right fielder John Raynor.

UNC-Wilmington would again bounce back, chasing Maryland starter Ben Pfinsgraff in the bottom of the sixth inning. Pfinsgraff gave up a walk and an RBI double in the sixth, as the Seahawks pulled within 3-2. Freshman left-hander would get the final three outs of the inning and the final 12 outs of the game to pick up the save.

The 6-foot-2 left-hander handcuffed right-handed batters with a hard breaking pitch and stayed around the plate, giving up just one walk over four scoreless innings to pick up his second save of the season. He retired the final 10 UNCW batters he faced, with five of those coming by strikeout.

Maryland would add an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning, upping its lead to 4-2 with Jason Von Behren scoring on a double play ball by Truan Mehl.