May 6, 2005

Final Stats

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the second Friday in a row, Maryland used eight pitchers in a conference game, this time doing it in a 7-2 loss to No. 15 Florida State at Shipley Field on Friday night. A Gibbs Chapman grand slam in the third inning and a three-run seventh was all the scoring the Seminoles needed to win their 22nd straight game over Maryland. The loss dropped the Terps to 22-28 overall and 7-21 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while the Seminoles improved to 39-14 overall and 13-9 in the ACC.

All of Florida State's seven runs came on two-out hits, including Chapman's second grand slam of the season in the third. Chapman later hit a two-out triple off Ryan Moorer in the seventh as part of a 2-for-5, five-RBI night, and Daniel Wardell hit a two-out, two-run double later in the inning to cap the Seminole scoring.

The Maryland defense continued its steady play in the game, committing no errors for a second consecutive game - the first time all season the Terps have played two straight errorless games. In all, Maryland has played 20 straight errorless innings, it's longest stretch of the season.

Shortstop Elliot Singletary converted six defensive chances into outs and was the only Terrapin hitter with at least two hits in the game. One of those was a solo home run to get the Terps on the board in the sixth inning, his third homer in two games. In the second game of a Wednesday doubleheader against Towson, Singletary homered twice, and tonight he just missed a home run in his first at-bat before launching his fifth of the season in the sixth inning.

Will Frazier drove in his team-leading 37th run of the season, moving his career total to 137 - six RBI shy of sixth on the school's career list.

Both teams worked through scoreless first and second innings, but Florida State broke the scoreless tie with a four-run third inning. Bryan Henry didn't allow a base runner over his first two innings, and the Maryland combination of Casey Baron and Seth Overbey kept the Seminoles off the board.

Brett Tidball entered the game in the top of third, and Florida State's Brant Peacher and Jack Rye led off the inning with back-to-back groundball singles. Tidball got the first out of the inning himself, coming off the mound and getting the lead runner on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The next batter, Shane Robinson, hit into a fielder's choice, leaving runners on first and third with two outs. Ryne Malone was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and left fielder Gibbs Chapman lined emptied the bases with a liner over the fence in center field. Chapman's seventh home run of the season pulled him into a tie for the Florida State team lead and gave the Seminoles a 4-0 lead through three innings.

Maryland got its first base runner in the fourth inning on a walk by Will Frazier, and Matt Maropis got the Terps' first hit with a single up the middle in the fifth. Maryland came up empty in both innings and trailed 4-0 through five innings.

Brett Cecil worked a scoreless top of the sixth, allowing just one walk and striking out two to keep the Terps in the game, and Elliot Singletary cut into the Seminole lead with a home run in the bottom half of the inning. For Singletary, it was his third home run in the last two games and career-high fifth of the season.

Florida State had a response in the top of the seventh inning, putting together another big inning to move its lead to 7-1. New Terrapin pitcher Ryan Moorer got the first two outs of the inning, but Ryne Malone singled to right field, and Gibbs Chapman hit an RBI triple past a diving Matt Maropis in right field. Aaron Cheesman followed with a walk, and Daniel Wardell doubled off the center field wall to score both Chapman and Cheesman to put the `Noles up 7-1.

Maryland threatened the six-run Florida State cushion in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out. Jason Von Behren singled into right field to get things started, and Elliot Singletary reached on his second hit of the game, a single into left field. With runners on first and second, Truan Mehl reached after pitcher Bryan Chambers dropped a toss from Daniel Wardell at first base. Wardell bobbled a bouncing groundball from Mehl and tossed underhand at first base to a covering Chambers, but Chambers dropped the toss to load the bases with one out. The next batter, Will Frazier, hit a groundball to third base, and Ryne Malone mishandled the groundball to score Von Behren from third base. Chambers induced an inning-ending double play to put an end to the Terp rally and maintain a 7-2 FSU lead.

That's how the game would end, as Brad Taylor worked a scoreless Florida State ninth, and Hunter Jones retired the Terps in order in the ninth to close out the game.

The teams will be back in action tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Shipley Field in the second of a three-game conference series. Maryland left-hander Chris Bowen will face Florida State right-hander Barrett Browning in the probable pitching match-up.