Maryland
Hofstra
Baseball Pounds Hofstra, 16-5
2/29/2008 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 29, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Senior Steve Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Pierce CC) and junior Gerry Spessard (Hagerstown, Md./Smithsburg) drove in four runs apiece and sophomore AJ Casario (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook) drove in another three as the Maryland baseball team blew out the visiting Hofstra Pride, 11-6, Friday afternoon at Shipley Field.
After stranding several runners on base the first four games of the season, the Terps (2-3) exploded for 16 runs on 12 hits, both season highs, against the Pride (0-1).
The Terps loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first inning, but were held to only one run. However, Casario broke out of an early-season slump in the second, crushing a two-run homer to right field to put Maryland up 3-0. Maryland went up 8-0 with a five-run fifth inning highlighted by a two-run single by senior Nick Jowers (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic).
Hofstra cut the deficit to 8-2 in the top of the fourth, but the Terps blew the game wide open in the bottom half of the fifth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Joe Palumbo (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) walked to drive in a run and then Braun smoked a grand slam to left field to put the Terps up 13-2. It was only the fourth home run for Braun in a Terps uniform and the first Maryland grand slam since Spessard did so against Virginia Commonwealth March 21, 2007.
Maryland's final three runs came on a bases-loaded double by Spessard in the bottom of the seventh.
Scott Swinson (Ellicott City, Md./George Washington University) earned the win on the mound, pitching six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Anthony Sarno took the loss for the Pride, getting pulled after 2 2/3 innings.
Senior Chad Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Pauls) was hit by a pitch in the first inning, extending his school record to 38 and getting within eight of moving into the top 20 in NCAA history.
Freshman Curtis Lazar (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) saw his first two career plate appearances for the Terps, lining a single and double. Freshman Brett Harman (Westminster, Md./Westminster) made his Maryland debut on the mound, pitching three innings of relief.
Maryland and Hofstra play a doubleheader tomorrow, beginning at noon. Ian Schwalenberg (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) and Kevin Biringer will start on the mound for the Terps.
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