Maryland
Duke
Baseball Drops Pitcher's Duel at Duke, 2-1
4/27/2008 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 27, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. - The University of Maryland baseball team got a great pitching performance from Kevin Biringer and produced a ninth-inning rally to tie the game, but the Blue Devils scored the wining run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a bases-loaded hit by pitch to take Sunday's rubber match of the three game series.
It was Maryland's eighth one-run loss in Atlantic Coast Conference play. With the loss, the Blue Devils took the eighth spot in the ACC standings from the Terps, meaning Maryland will have to make up ground in its last two ACC series of the season if it wants to play in the ACC Tournament.
The Terps (26-21, 8-16 ACC) had good opportunities to grab an early lead in both the second, third and fourth innings, but came up empty.
Will Greenberg (Gaithersburg, Md./Washington College) was stranded in the second after leading off with a double and the Terps had runners on first and third with no outs in the third inning, but couldn't score. The Terps had two on with one out in the fourth without plating a run.
While Maryland struggled to solve Duke starter Jonathan Foreman, Biringer (Albuquerque, N.M./Bradley University) was equally dominant for the Terps, shutting out the Blue Devils through six innings, tying a career high with seven strikeouts.
However, the Blue Devils (31-13-1, 8-13-1 ACC) broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Biringer allowed a leadoff single and then committed a throwing error to put runners on second and third with no outs before getting pulled for Dan Gentzler (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga).
Gentzler induced a pop-up for the first out of the inning, but Matt Williams drove in the first run of the game on an RBI groundout. However, Gentzler recorded the third out with only one runner scoring, limiting the damage in what looked to be a potentially-huge inning.
Down to their last at-bat of the game, the Terps rallied to tie the game.
Designated hitter Jensen Pupa (Germantown, Md./Northwest) singled to left off Duke closer Alex Hassan. After a sacrifice bunt and a groundout moved pinch runner Scott Swinson (Ellicott City, Md./George Washington University) to third with two outs, head coach Terry Rupp pinch-hit freshman Bill Rice (Washington Township, N.J./Washington Township) for Dan Benick (Glen Lyon, Pa./Nanticoke).
Rice took a 2-1 pitch from Hassan and grounded into the hole at shortstop. Jake Lemmerman could not get to the ball in time and Swinson scored the tying run on an infield single.
Unfortunately for the Terps, the momentum gained from the top of the ninth inning didn't last long. Gentzler lost his control in the bottom of the ninth. With two men on and two outs in the inning, Gantzler went ahead 0-2 on Matt Williams and induced a foul pop up, but neither catcher Chad Durakis (Cockeysville, Md./St. Paul's) nor Greenberg could get to it and Gentzler hit Williams with the next pitch to load the bases for Duke slugger Nate Freiman.
Gentzler fell behind 3-0 on Freiman and hit him with a 3-1 pitch to score the winning run for the Blue Devils.
Hassan got the win, despite blowing the save to go to 3-0 on the year. Gentzler took the loss, falling to 2-1.
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