April 5, 2006

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK., Md. - The Maryland Terrapins staved off a late comeback by Towson, using a total of six pitchers and holding on for a 5-3 victory on Wednesday night at Shipley Field. Sophomore Brett Cecil sealed the win for the Terps (14-17) as he earned his record-setting eighth save of the season.

Left fielder Matt Maropis went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and Joe Palumbo finished 2-for-3, scoring two runs and driving in another for Maryland, which has won three straight. On the mound, the Terps used several arms in hopes of keeping them all fresh for the upcoming weekend. Starter Ryan Moorer, winner Brett Tidball (3-4) and John Dischert combined to throw seven scoreless innings before the staff ran into trouble courtesy of some sloppy defense in the eighth.

The Terps opened the scoring in the fourth. Maropis reached on a hit by pitch and moved into scoring position after a Steve Braun sacrifice bunt. First baseman Gerry Spessard then doubled the senior in for his team-leading 15th RBI of the year to give Maryland a 1-0 advantage.

Some strong defense in the top of the fourth helped preserve the lead for the Terps. With men on first and second and two outs, left fielder Demetrios Nomikos singled up the middle off Tidball. Third baseman A.J. Tinnerella, representing the tying run, was immediately waved home by the Towson third base coach. But center fielder Nick Jowers scooped the ball off the grass and threw the runner out at the plate on a hop, keeping Maryland ahead by a run.

The Terps added to their lead in the fifth. Designated hitter Jordan Wilson walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jowers. Palumbo brought him around on a double to right to make it 2-0. Maropis then stepped to the plate and traded spots with his second baseman, scoring Palumbo on a double as the Terps went up by three.

Maryland padded its lead further in the seventh. After Maropis drove Wink Nolan in from second on a single to left to make it 4-0, the Terps had runners on the corners with one away. With Braun up at bat, Maropis took off from first, intentionally getting himself into a rundown. After several tosses between the Tiger infielders, Palumbo broke for home, making it in safely as Maropis trotted to second to complete the double steal.

The Tigers capitalized on a trio of errors, including two by third baseman Mike Murphy, in the top of the eighth. Righty Joe Zaccaria was charged with all three Towson runs during the inning, each of which was unearned. With the lead in serious jeopardy, Cecil came on with two away, allowing two hits with two strikeouts in 1.1 shutout innings to shut the door on Towson for good.

Now at eight on the year, Cecil established a new school record for saves in a season, with 25 regular season games still to play. The southpaw from Dunkirk, Md. is now tied for third place on the career list in the category with 10 and stands just two shy of sole possession of second.

Maryland will hit the road to take on Clemson this weekend in a three-game conference set. It will mark the third weekend out of the last four that Maryland will take part in a series against a team ranked in the top 10.