Feb. 23, 2008
Box Score
CONWAY, S.C. -
CONWAY, S.C. - Senior Steve Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Pierce CC) led the Terps' offense with three hits, but Maryland baseball dropped its season opener, 10-4, to Coastal Carolina in the IMIChotels.com INN-vitational Saturday afternoon.
Maryland (0-1) had its chances against Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Bobby Gagg, but missed a couple opportunities for big innings.
Braun and right fielder AJ Casario (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook) started the top of the first inning with back-to-back singles. Senior Chad Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Pauls) moved the runners to second and third on a groundout. Designated hitter Will Greenberg (Gaithersburg, Md./Washington College) then smoked a line drive to center field. Coastal center fielder David Sappelt made a diving catch to rob Greenberg and alertly got the ball to second base, picking off Casario before Braun could tag and score, leaving the Terps with no runs in the inning.
The Chanticleers (1-0) scored single runs off Maryland starter Scott Swinson (Ellicott City, Md./George Washington University) in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 2-0 lead.
The Terps rallied in the top of the sixth inning, loading the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, junior Gerry Spessard (Hagerstown, Md./Smithsburg) got Maryland on the board with an RBI single to right field. With the bases loaded with one out, Coastal reliever Joey Haug fanned Justin Mayse (Elkton, Md./Cecil CC) and induced a fly out to end the inning.
The Chants blew the game open in the bottom half of the inning on a grand slam by Sappelt, the Big South Preseason Player of the Year.
Maryland found success with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning, getting a two-out, two-run single by Joe Palumbo (Bowie, Md./DeMatha) to cut the deficit to 6-3.
After falling behind 10-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Durakis homered to left field off Kent Altman to account for the rest of the Terps' scoring. It was Durakis' seventh career home run.
Greenberg matched Braun with three hits on a single and two doubles.
The Terps play later today against Pittsburgh, which lost earlier in the day to Virginia Tech.
-TERPS-
