May 2, 2008
Box Score
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -
The University of Maryland baseball team was held to one run on six hits in an 8-1 loss at Boston College Friday afternoon in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series.
Boston College starting pitcher Dan Houston gave the Terps' bats fits, throwing seven strong innings with nine strikeouts and no walks allowed.
With the loss, Maryland (26-22, 8-17 ACC) fell a full game behind both Duke and Wake Forest for eighth place in the ACC and the final ACC Tournament spot that comes with an eighth-place finish. Both the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons have ACC byes this weekend.
Boston College (22-24, 6-19 ACC) scored first, plating two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs and runners at second and third, Terps starter Scott Swinson (Ellicott City, Md./George Washington University) uncorked a wild pitch to let in a run and Matt Hamlet drove in the second run with an RBI single.
The Eagles increased their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second on a Barry Butera RBI double.
After being held in check through for innings, the Terps finally broke through against Houston in the top of the fifth. Joe Palumbo (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) doubled to right field with two outs on a ball that popped in and out of the glove of Butera in front of the wall. Senior Nick Jowers (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) followed with a bloop single down the right field line to score Palumbo with the Terps' first run to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The deficit didn't stay at two long, however, as the first three Eagles hitters reached safely to begin the bottom of the fifth, including a two-run single by Eric Campbell to put Boston College up 5-1. Boston College added a pair of unearned runs due to two fielding errors in the inning to go up 7-1.
The Eagles increased their lead to 8-1 in the seventh on an RBI triple by Garrett Smith.
Houston improved to 3-3 with the victory while Swinson fell to 4-4. Swinson allowed seven runs, five of them earned, in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest start of the season.
Palumbo had two of Maryland's three hits in the game.
Boston College first baseman Michael Belfiore went 4-for-5 and Campbell went 3-for-5.
The two teams meet again at 1 p.m. Saturday. Brett Jones (Dunkirk, Md./Southern) will be on the hill for the Terps as they look to force a rubber match on Sunday.
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