April 2, 2008

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Chad Durakis went 3-for-3 and Joe Palumbo came through with a pair of clutch RBI singles to lead the Maryland baseball team to a 9-5 victory against George Mason Wednesday night at Shipley Field. It was Maryland's ninth straight non-conference win.

The Terps (16-13, 3-9 ACC) used six different pitchers in the game, including three perfect innings of relief from senior Mike Sufczynski (Darnestown, Md./St. John's) to close the Patriots (12-15, 7-4 CAA) out and earn his first victory of the season.

Sophomore Tim Kearney (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) got the start for the Terps and allowed a first-inning run in two innings of work.

Tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning, the Terps took advantage of a key error by Patriots shortstop Brent Weiss. With two outs and two men on base, first baseman Will Greenberg (Gaithersburg, Md./Washington College) hit a high pop-up to short left field. Weiss called off left fielder Scott Krieger, but the ball bounced out of his glove, allowing Nick Jowers (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) to scoot home. Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Paul's) made it 3-1 Terps with a double down the left-field line.

The Patriots tied the game in the top of the sixth, but the Terps answered in the bottom half with two runs of their own. Palumbo (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) and Steve Braun (Granada Hills, Calif./Pierce CC) each delivered one-out RBI singles.

George Mason again tied the game in the top of the seventh. However, the Terps scored the game's last four runs en route to the win.

Maryland produced a two-out rally in the seventh. With two gone and nobody on base, the Terps loaded the bags on two walks and a hit batsman by Mason reliever Mike Modica. Palumbo then singled to second base scoring Mike Moss (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) and an alert Greenberg, who scored all the way from second base on the infield hit.

The Terps scored two more runs in the eighth on an RBI single by Greenberg. A second run scored on Greenberg's single when right fielder Ryan Uphouse made a poor throw back into the infield.

Maryland tied its season-high with five stolen bases in the game, including two by Braun. Braun also extended his hitting streak to nine games.

Modica took the loss for the Patriots.

Maryland is at Virginia Tech this weekend for a crucial three-game ACC series.

-TERPS-