April 21, 2007

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. - Sophomore Dan Benick scored in the top of the eleventh inning to put the Maryland baseball team ahead, while junior Brett Cecil retired the final three Blue Devil batters to give the Terrapins a 5-4 extra-innings win over Duke Friday evening at Jack Coombs Field. Maryland (23-18, 7-12 ACC) won its third-straight game, while the Blue Devils (23-17, 4-15 ACC) fell for the fourth time in the last five games.

Cecil (5-3) picked up his team-leading fifth win of the season after tossing 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six batters. Duke reliever Jonathan Anderson took the loss after allowing the game-winning run.

Benick, along with junior Chad Durakis, led the team with three hits. Freshman AJ Casario hit his second career home run when his two-run blast bounced off the top of the wall in right center field and out of play. Blue Devils catcher Matt Williams led the Duke offense with a 3-for-5 performance.

Duke took a quick lead when they scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning. First baseman Nate Freiman doubled to score the game's opening run, while Williams singled to bring Freiman home, giving the Devils a 2-0 lead.

Maryland cut the gap to one run in the top of the third, when Benick's RBI double to center field scored junior Steve Braun, who reached base on the first of his two doubles on the day.

The Blue Devils answered right back, as Alex Hassan hit into a sacrifice fly to score third baseman Brett Bartles, leaving the score 3-1 in Duke's favor.

From there, Terps starter Casey Baron settled in for an effective outing, pitching seven innings and allowing no further runs while notching six strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Terrapins took the lead in the top of the sixth inning with a three-run rally, capped off by Casario's round-tripper. The first run of the inning came when Durakis doubled to bring home junior Mike Murphy, who reached on a base hit.

Duke did not find the equalizer until the bottom of the eighth, when Cecil's first pitch was wild and allowed Freiman to score from third base.

Cecil allowed no further damage, though, not allowing a base runner until the bottom of the eleventh inning. In the top half of the stanza, though, Benick put the Terps ahead when he singled and moved over on a groundout. With one out, the Glen Lyon, Pa., native stole third base, then crossed the plate as Williams' throw scooted into left field.

Maryland will try for the series win tomorrow afternoon, when the teams meet at 2 p.m. for the second game of the weekend.