Maryland
Duke*
Benick Sends Maryland To 9-8 Win Over Duke In Extra Innings
3/5/2006 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 5, 2006
DURHAM, N.C. - Dan Benick hit the game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Maryland Terrapins beat Duke, 9-8, on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of their first Atlantic Coast Conference series of the season at Coombs Field. The Terps (6-7, 2-1 ACC) came from five down at one point to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth before winning their second extra-inning game of the season.
With two outs in the 12th, designated hitter Matt Maropis walked and catcher Chad Durakis singled though the left side off Duke pitcher Jim Perry. Both runners advanced one base on a wild pitch, putting men in scoring position for Benick. The freshman from Nanticoke, Pa. delivered, singling to left to bring in Maropis as Maryland "walked off" with its fifth win in six games.
Brett Cecil tossed a season-high 4.0 shutout innings to earn the victory. In the top of the 12th, the sophomore left-hander found himself in a bases loaded jam with no outs. Daniel Palmer led off with a single for Duke, then moved to third on a double by catcher Matt Williams. After an intentional walk was issued to shortstop Brett Bartles, the bases were loaded with none down. But Cecil (3-1) stayed calm and retired the next three hitters in order, including two on strikeouts, to preserve the tie heading into the bottom of the inning.
With the victory, the Terps slide into sole possession of first place in the ACC.
Maryland took the early lead, putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the second. Third baseman Mike Murphy bunted for a base hit and stole second. After designated hitter Jordan Wilson drew a walk, both runners moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Durakis. Benick grounded out and leftfielder Wink Nolan walked, loading the bases for centerfielder Nick Jowers. With two away, the sophomore sent a pitch from starter Anderson to the gap in left center that cleared the bases, making it 3-0 Terps.
Maryland would not hold the lead for long, however, as Duke scored four runs in its next at-bat. Second baseman Kyle Kreick and pitcher Jonathan Anderson started off the inning with back-to-back singles off starter Mike Sufczynski. The next two Blue Devils flied out and Bartles walked, loading the bases with two down for cleanup hitter Jimmy Gallagher. On the very first pitch he saw, the sophomore centerfielder drove a grand slam home run over the right field fence, giving Duke the lead at 4-3.
The Blue Devils pushed one more across in the fourth and added three in the fifth, boosting their lead to 8-3.
But Maryland would mount a comeback in the sixth inning, cutting the deficit to a single run. First baseman Gerry Spessard led off with his ACC-leading fourth triple to right-center, then scored on a single to center by second baseman Dan Melvin. The junior from Fredericksburg, Va. moved into scoring position on Murphy's second bunt single of the afternoon and then came around to score on a single to right by Wilson to make it 8-5. Durakis and Benick both flied out, bringing up Nolan with runners on first and second and two away. With a 1-1 count, the speedy freshman hit a two-run triple to right field, bringing the score to 8-7.
The Terps tied the game in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth. Following a leadoff double to left by Jowers, shortstop Steve Braun laid down a sacrifice bunt to put a runner at third with one away. With the infield drawn in, Spessard sent a hard groundball to the first baseman. But Duke had no play on Jowers, who was running on contact, at home and settled for the putout at first as Maryland tied the game up at eight.
For the Terrapins, right-hander Seth Overbey came on in middle relief and held the Blue Devils scoreless in 1.2 innings of work, while the Terps conducted their rally. Overbey, who recorded a season-high three strikeouts, has not allowed a run in his last two appearances (4.1 innings). Maryland also received strong efforts from Casey Baron, Joe Zaccaria, who combined to throw 1.1 perfect innings out of the bullpen.
