Feb. 20, 2005

Final Stats

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Five errors and four unearned runs were ultimately too much for the Maryland baseball team to overcome on Sunday, as it fell to UNC-Wilmington 11-6. The Terps fought back and tied the game up late, but the Seahawks scored a combined five runs in the seventh and eighth innings to put the game away. Jordan Wilson had three more RBI in the game, bringing his series total to eight and his season total to nine - a new career high.

UNC-Wilmington jumped on Maryland starter Sean Kane early, using four hits and a walk to get out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Designated hitter Lee McLean started the Seahawk rally with a walk, and third baseman Matt Poulk followed with a soft double down the right field line. With runners on first and third, Tim Preston singled up the middle to plate both McLean and Poulk and give UNCW an early 2-0 lead. Preston would score two batters later on a single through the right side by right fielder Daniel Hargrave.

UNCW would score one more in the second inning, building a 4-0 lead and chasing Sean Kane after 1.1 innings of work. Kane gave up four runs (three earned), retired four batters and allowed six hits and a walk. Bowen relieved Kane and got out of a one-out jam with runners on first and second.

Bowen threw an effective 4.1 innings in relief of Kane, giving up three hits and one earned run.

The Terps jumped back into the game with a big third inning, scoring three runs on off UNCW starter Thomas Benton. Matt Maropis led off the inning with a hard single up the middle, and Truan Mehl fouled off six straight pitches in a 1-2 count before being hit by a pitch in the left foot. With runners on first and second, Justin Maxwell drilled an 0-2 pitch off the wall in left field, legging out a double and scoring Maropis on the play. First baseman Jordan Wilson followed two batters later with a flare to right field, scoring Mehl and Maxwell and pulling the Terps within a run at 4-3.

UNCW would score its second unearned run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, using errors from third baseman Jason Von Behren and second baseman Matt Maropis to put runners on base, eventually scoring a run on a pickoff attempt by Terrapin reliever Chris Bowen. Bowen caught a Seahawk runner leaning off first base, leading to a run down situation where Daniel Hargrave beat a throw home from shortstop Joe Palumbo.

Down 5-3, the Terps again answered with another RBI base hit from Jordan Wilson. The junior first baseman took a Thomas Benton offering up the middle, bringing in Justin Maxwell from second. Will Frazier was thrown out at home on the play, but Maryland got on the board with Maxwell's run, bringing the score to 5-4.

Wilson finished the series with eight RBI, bringing his career-high season RBI total to nine. Entering 2005, Wilson had seven RBI in his three-year Maryland career, with his previous season-best of four coming last season.

After a sixth-inning run upped UNC-Wilmington's lead to 6-4, Maryland battled back to score two runs in the top of the seventh and tie the game up at 6-6. Will Frazier hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in Matt Maropis, and a bases loaded walk to freshman Joe Palumbo tied the game up at 6-6.

It didn't take long for UNC-Wilmington to jump back on top, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the seventh and three more in the eighth.

Down 11-6 in the ninth, the Terps couldn't come back on Seahawk closer Jeff Moore, as they fell by that same margin.

Four Terps had two hits in the loss, including leadoff man Matt Maropis and left fielder Will Frazier, who both broke out of early season slumps.

The Terps will be back in action next weekend at the Charleston Invitational, when they take on Le Moyne College, Towson and host Charleston. Live game stats and audio will be available by logging on to www.umterps.com.