Maryland
DELAWARE STATE
Terps Run Past Hornets, 8-5
4/25/2006 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Right-handed pitcher Ryan Moorer allowed two hits in a career-high six innings of work and the Maryland Terrapins (19-25) stole a season-best eight bases en route to an 8-5 win over Delaware State on Tuesday evening at Shipley Field. With the victory, the Terps improve to 8-0 in non-conference home games on the season.
Looking aggressive on the base path, six different players stole at least one bag for the Terps, who were perfect on eight attempts. Rightfielder Matt Maropis and third baseman Mike Murphy had two steals apiece and Dan Melvin, Gerry Spessard, Nick Jowers and Dan Przybylski all swiped one, as well. Spessard also added three RBI and Melvin, Murphy and catcher Chad Durakis each had two hits for Maryland, which led by six runs entering the seventh.
Moorer (2-0) had the Hornet hitters off balance all night, yielding one run while fanning a career-high six. Virtually his only mistake of the game came when he allowed a solo homer to first baseman Brandon Gravely with two down in the fourth.
Maryland took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the third. After Melvin singled and stole second, Spessard broke the scoreless tie with an RBI base hit to left off righty Matt Carey (0-2) to give the Terps a 1-0 lead.
Bravely then evened things up in the top of fourth with his 10th homer of the season to center field. The blast, which put the Hornets on the board for the first time, marked their first hit of the evening off Moorer, as well.
Maryland used some alert base running and situational hitting to push across the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the frame. After reaching on a base hit, Maropis stole second and moved to third when the throw down scooted into center. Jowers then grounded out to second, plating the senior to make it 2-1, Terps.
With his second steal of the game, Maropis moved into sole possession of fourth place on the Maryland career list in that category, surpassing Chris Cannan and Mark Poehlman who both recorded 47 stolen bases.
The Terps would stretch the lead to four during their next at-bat. Melvin drove in the first run of the inning on a triple to right and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Spessard. With two away, first baseman Jordan Wilson knocked in the pinch runner Przybylski on a double to left to give Maryland a 5-1 advantage. The Terps would add two more on a hit and a pair of Hornet errors in the sixth to go up by six.
A three-run seventh helped Delaware State cut the deficit in half. With the bases loaded and two down, centerfielder Jon Ricketts hit a two-run single to right off Kevin Biringer to make it 7-3. Jared Lineweaver scored from third on an errant throw by Maropis at the end of the play to close the Hornets to within three.
Right-hander Brad Taylor came in out of the bullpen to start the eighth for the Terps, allowing one unearned run on no hits with two strikeouts in two innings of work to ensure the victory.
Maryland is back in action tomorrow night when the Terps welcome the Towson Tigers to Shipley at 7 p.m. The teams have split the series, 1-1, thus far, with each team winning at home.
