March 11, 2008
Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Senior Brett Tidball pitched four shutout innings in his first start of the season and Gerry Spessard hit his fourth home run this year as the University of Maryland baseball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory against the Delaware Blue Hens Tuesday evening at Shipley Field.
The Terps (6-7, 0-3) never trailed in the game, plating two runs in the bottom of the second via small ball.
Third baseman Mike Murphy (Silver Spring, Md./Georgetown Prep) led off with a double to left-center field. First baseman Will Greenberg (Gaithersburg, Md./Washington College) followed with a single through the left side, advancing Murphy to third and taking second on the throw.
Maryland then came through with two productive outs to score the runners. AJ Casario (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook) grounded out to first to bring in Murphy and Nick Jowers (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) grounded out to short to score Greenberg.
Jowers made it 3-0 Terps in the bottom of the fourth, blasting his first home run of the season over the wall in dead-center field.
Tidball (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) left the game after four shutout innings and was replaced by freshman Brett Harman (Westminster, Md./Westminster).
Harman pitched two scoreless innings before getting into a jam in the top of the seventh.
Delaware (3-10, 0-3) put two on with no outs against Harman via an infield single and a walk. Harman was then replaced by freshman Matt Quinn (North Wales, Pa./North Penn).
Quinn induced a potential double-play ball off the bat of Blue Hens slugger Adam Tsakonas, but shortstop Steve Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Pierce CC) struggled to transfer the ball from his glove to throwing hand and all runners reached safely, loading the bases with still no outs for All-American candidate Alex Buchholz.
Buchholz got Delaware on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field, but Quinn avoided further damage with a strikeout and ground-out to the next two batters.
Up 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Spessard (Hagerstown, Md./Smithsburg) added some insurance, launching a two-run homer to right field. It was Spessard's fourth home run of the season, tying his career high and giving him the team lead this season.
Tidball earned the win, while starter Dan Richardson took the loss for Delaware. Quinn earned his first career save as he entered the game in the seventh with the tying run at the plate.
Senior Chad Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Pauls) was hit by a pitch for the fifth time this season. Greenberg had two hits for the Terps.
The Terps and Blue Hens meet again tomorrow for a 3 p.m. game at Shipley Field. Admission is free and WMUCSports.com will broadcast the game online.
-TERPS-
