March 29, 2005

Final Stats

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Down 6-1 in the fifth inning, Maryland baseball scored seven unanswered runs over the next three innings to complete an 8-6 comeback victory over UMBC. Jason Von Behren tied the game up with a three-run double off the left field wall in the seventh, and Elliot Singletary scored the eventual game winner on a passed ball in the bottom of the eighth. Both Singletary and Von Behren tied career highs with three hits, and Von Behren pulled into a tie for the team RBI lead with 17.

Justin Hulse lowered his ERA for the 10th straight appearance and picked up his second win of the season with 1.2 hitless and scoreless innings. Brett Cecil started the game with 2.0 scoreless innings, but was on a pitch count and left after 30 pitches.

Nine Terps had base hits, led by Singletary and Von Behren's combined six, as Maryland overcame nine runners left in scoring position and 11 on base. Singletary had a streak of 11 consecutive hits for extra bases with a single in the bottom of the first, and Bobby Ryan walked twice, had a sacrifice bunt and scored a run. Truan Mehl (11 games), Chad Durakis (10 games) and Will Frazier (seven games) each extended hitting streaks, and Nick Jowers drove in his fourth run of the season.

Jowers gave the Terps an early lead with an RBI double to the base of the right field wall. Jason Von Behren, who had reached with a leadoff bloop single to right field, scored from second, and catcher Bobby Ryan was thrown out at the plate on the play. Jowers' fourth RBI of the season was the first scoring of the game and gave Maryland a 1-0 at the end of two innings.

Sean Kane relieved Maryland starter Brett Cecil after two innings and recorded the first two outs of the third before running into trouble. UMBC first baseman Kyle Wildasin was hit by a pitch for the second time in a game, advanced to second on a walk to Alex Laddbush and then scored on a single to right field by pitcher Zach Clark.

Clark helped his own cause in the top of the fifth inning, hitting an infield single to shortstop Dan Melvin with runners on first and second. Melvin made a diving stop to keep the ball on the infield, but made an errant throw to second baseman Elliot Singletary to allow Joe Fowler to score from third. Fowler, who had reached on a fielding error by Jason Von Behren, scored the first of two unearned runs in the inning. Clark scored the other on a bases loaded walk to second baseman Ian Carman, giving the Retrievers a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.

UMBC added to its lead in the top of the sixth inning, with Zach Clark again providing the spark. Kyle Wildasin hit a hard two-out double off the top of the extended fence in center field, and Alex Laddbush was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Josh Andrews relieved Kane with two outs in the inning, and ran a full count to Clark. Clark, who had moved from pitcher to the designated hitter spot the previous inning, hit a 3-2 offering high into the air and just over the center field wall. Clark's first home run of the season scored three runs and gave UMBC a 6-1 lead.

Maryland cut into that lead in the bottom, with Elliot Singletary hitting a two-out double off the left field wall. Singletary's 10th double of the season scored Bobby Ryan from first base and Chad Durakis from second. Durakis had led off the inning with a line drive single to right field, and Ryan on a five pitch walk.

Josh Andrews retired UMBC in order in the top of the seventh, and Maryland evened the score in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run inning of its own. Will Frazier started the rally with a one-out, line drive single to left field, and Jordan Wilson followed with another hard single to left. Chad Durakis was hit by an 0-2 pitch to load the bases, and Jason Von Behren emptied the bases with a double off the left field wall. The three-run double tied the game up at 6-6 and pulled Von Behren into a tie for the team lead with 17 runs batted in.

Elliot Singletary finished the Maryland comeback with a run in the bottom of the eighth, and Truan Mehl tacked on an insurance run with an RBI triple to right field. Singletary had led off the inning with his third base hit of the game, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt fielder's choice by Dan Melvin. With Mehl at the plate, pitcher Blake Phipps threw an inside fastball that got away from catcher Alex Laddbush and allowed Singletary to score from third. Later in the at-bat, Mehl hit a high flyball to right field that UMBC's Isaac Friedel lost in the lights. Melvin scored from third on the play, and Mehl was thrown out at home plate trying to advance on an overthrow by Ian Carman. With Melvin's run, Maryland went up 8-6 heading into the top of the ninth.

Hulse closed out the game with a dominant ninth inning, striking out two and inducing a groundball out to shortstop Dan Melvin.

The Terps will be back in action again tomorrow, taking on Temple at Shipley Field before leaving for a weekend set with No. 1 Georgia Tech.