Maryland
Towson
Towson Trips Up Maryland, 9-2
3/14/2006 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2006
TOWSON, Md. - The Maryland Terrapins (6-11) lost to Towson, 9-2, on Tuesday afternoon at Schuerholz Park in non-conference action. The Terps fell behind early and were unable to forge a comeback against the Tiger pitching staff.
Towson's Mike Santmyer (1-0) tossed 4.2 innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out eight en route to his first victory of the season. Junior Joe Peeler came on in the fifth and finished the game on the hill for the Tigers, earning his first save of the season.
For the Terps, second baseman Dan Melvin went 2-for-4 at the plate including a hit-by-pitch and rightfielder Matt Maropis was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Tigers jumped on the board early, scoring two runs in both the first and second innings. Designated hitter Matt Collins led off for Towson with a triple to the centerfield fence and then scored on a single by Adam Heffron off starter Kevin Biringer (0-1). Following another single and a Terp error, A.J. Tinerella doubled Heffron in to make it 2-0 Tigers.
In the second inning Towson doubled its lead to four runs. Left-hander Brett Tidball relieved Biringer with runners on second and third and one down. After striking out the first batter he saw, the sophomore threw two wild pitches which allowed both runs to come in and put the Tigers ahead, 4-0.
Maryland ran its way back into the game in the top of the third. With two outs, Maropis reached on error by third baseman Ryan Schreiter and stole second. Melvin then came up and hit another ball at Schreiter. The junior from Fredericksburg, Va. would wind up with an infield single and both runners advanced one base on another throwing error by the third baseman, bringing the Terps closer at 4-1.
But the Tigers posted a four-run fourth inning and tacked on one more in the fifth to take a commanding 9-1 advantage.
Maryland would push one last run across in the top of the ninth. Shortstop Steve Braun led off with a single, then advanced to second on a groundout by catcher Dan Mellies. After another Terp groundout, Maropis connected on a two-out single to left, bringing Braun home to make it a 9-2 ballgame.
For the Terps, left-hander Casey Baron entered with one away in the fourth and yielded just one run on one hit in a season-high 3.2 innings of work. The junior from Fairland, Md. struck out a season-best four batters. Sophomore Joe Zaccaria tossed a scoreless eighth inning out of the bullpen for the Terps, as well.
Maryland is back in action tomorrow evening, as the Terps welcome Mount St. Mary's to Shipley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.
