Maryland
WEST VIRGINIA
Terps Come From Behind To Beat West Virginia, 10-8
4/19/2006 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2006
COLLEGE Park, Md. - Nick Jowers drove in the winning run on a double in the bottom of the eighth and closer Brett Cecil came on to get the game's final out and ensure a 10-8 comeback win for the Maryland Terrapins (17-23) over West Virginia on Tuesday night at Shipley Field. Exhibiting some pop at the plate from the leadoff spot in the order, Jowers finished 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI for Maryland, which improved to 7-0 in non-conference home games this season.
With the score knotted in the eighth, the Terps had two men aboard when Jowers stepped up and doubled high off the wall in left, plating pinch hitter Dan Benick to make it 9-8. Joe Palumbo would later be forced home when Jason Von Behren drew a bases loaded walk to give Maryland a two-run advantage.
After Seth Overbey (1-1) retired the first two WVU hitters in the ninth, Cecil entered and struck out the only batter he faced to pick up his 10th save of the year.
The Terps have not lost a non-conference game at Shipley all year, and have won six of their last nine overall in College Park.
West Virginia was the first to score, putting up two runs in the third. With a man on second, rightfielder Stan Posluszny drove in the first run of the game on a single to right and Kyle Matuszek followed with an RBI double to left to make it 2-0, WVU.
Maryland battled back to take the lead in the bottom of the frame. After a leadoff double to left by Wink Nolan, Jowers tied things up with his third home run of the year off of starter Matt Yurish. Matt Maropis, who walked and stole second, scored on a Dan Melvin single to give Maryland a 3-2 edge.
After West Virginia's Doug Nelms knotted the game with an RBI single in the fifth, the Terps reclaimed a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the inning. Jowers, Maropis and Melvin would all come in to score after starting the inning with three straight singles to give Maryland a three-run advantage.
But the Mountaineers pushed three across in the sixth to tie the game back up. Catcher Mike Schmidt came in on a groundball to second and Justin Jenkins and Posluszny each hit RBI doubles for the Mountaineers. Nelms then scored on a two-out infield single by Adam White in the seventh to give WVU a 7-6 edge.
The Terps came right back, taking the lead back in the bottom of the frame. First baseman Jordan Wilson laced an RBI double off of lefty Marty Fagler (3-4) to tie the things up. He was replaced on the base path by pinch runner Gerry Spessard, who would eventually come in to score the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
Nelms drove in Posluszny on a single to left with two down in the eighth to tie things back up yet again and set the stage for Jowers and the Terps to make their move with the bats.
Maryland will be back in action this weekend, when the Terps pay a visit to Atlantic Coast Conference rival Wake Forest in a pivotal three-game road set. Game times are set for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
