March 24, 2007
Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Led by junior right-hander Ryan Moorer's seven-inning, two-hit shutout performance, the Maryland baseball team took game two of its three-game series against No. 6 Clemson Saturday, 4-1. Moorer improved to 3-0 on the season while the Terrapins (16-7, 5-3 ACC) earned the series victory against the Tigers (14-7, 3-2) for the first time in four years.
Maryland's offense took advantage of Tigers starter Ryan Hinson (1-1) by scoring four runs in the fifth inning to hand the sophomore his first career loss. For the Terps, junior closer Brett Cecil bounced back from a shaky outing Friday and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings for his seventh save of the year.
For the second straight day, Terrapin pitching held the Tigers offense scoreless for most of the game, as the Tigers marked their sole run of the day in the eighth inning. During the early innings, Maryland's offense did not produce either, as the teams combined for just two hits in the first four and a half innings.
In the fifth, though, the Terps' bats came alive to break the scoreless stalemate. Sophomore outfielders Wink Nolan and Dan Benick led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and were moved into scoring position on junior Steve Braun's sacrifice bunt. Junior Joe Palumbo plated the first run of the day with his cue shot single to second base, scoring Nolan.
The next batter, freshman AJ Casario, reached on an error by Tiger second baseman David Bunnell and picked up an RBI as Benick crossed home plate. Maryland's scoring outburst continued right away as sophomore Mike Murphy lined a single to center field to score Palumbo and Casario, leaving the Terps with a 4-0 lead.
Moorer faced trouble in the sixth inning, when Andy D'Alessio's double off the right field fence put two runners in scoring position. But with two outs, the Peabody, Mass., product induced a fly out to end the inning with no damage done.
Freshman Ian Schwalenberg was inserted to pitch the eighth inning and nearly escaped unscathed, but a two-out double by shortstop Taylor Harbin scored center fielder Brad Chalk, who singled to reach base.
At that point, Cecil took the mound and was nearly flawless, retiring the final batter in the eighth and issuing just one walk in the ninth to pick up his seventh save of the year.
With back-to-back wins this weekend over the Tigers, Maryland earned a series victory over Clemson for the first time since the 2003 season, when the Terps took the first two games before falling in the finale.
The Terps will try for their first-ever three-game sweep against Clemson on Sunday, when junior Kevin Biringer has the call from Shipley Field at 1:00 p.m.
R H E
Clemson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 3
Maryland 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 X 4 7 1
