April 18, 2009
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Despite a pair of late inning rallies, the University of Maryland baseball team eventually fell in 12 innings to the Duke Blue Devils Saturday afternoon at Shipley Field, tying the Atlantic Coast Conference series at one game apiece.
The Terrapins (17-21, 5-15 ACC) scored single runs in the bottom of the eighth and 11th innings to erase one-run deficits, but couldn't plate the go-ahead or winning runs.
Duke (27-14, 10-10 ACC) finally pulled away in the top of the 12th inning as No. 9 hitter Jake Lemmerman hit a one-out grand slam to left field off Ian Schwalenberg to give the Blue Devils an 8-4 lead.
The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Terps tied the game in the bottom half on a solo home run by catcher Tyler Bennett and then took the lead with a run in the third on a botched relay throw on a potential double-play ball.
Maryland's lead didn't last long, however. Terps pitcher Brett Harman gave up back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the fourth to Nate Freiman and Jeremy Gould.
The score remained 4-3 in Duke's favor entering the bottom of the eighth inning. With runners on the corners with one out, designated hitter Jensen Pupa knotted the score at 3 with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
Terps relief pitcher Dan Gentzler tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings late in the game to keep the Terps alive before being relieved by Schwalenberg to start the 11th. With two outs and a runner on first, the Blue Devils took the lead on a Matt Williams double off the left-field wall.
However, Maryland was not done. Left fielder Mike Rozak answered Duke's run with a double down the left-field line on Alex Hassan's first offering of the bottom of the 11th. After a sacrifice bunt advanced Rozak to third, David Poutier again tied the game with a double over the head of center fielder Will Piwnica-Worms. The Terps loaded the bases with two outs after intentional walks to Mike Murphy and Will Greenberg, but Hassan got out of the jam on a foul-out by Mike Moss.
Schwalenberg began the 12th inning with a leadoff walk and consecutive infield hits to load the bases with no outs. After a key force out at home, Lemmerman delivered the game-winning homer.
The game was Maryland's first extra-inning contest of the season. Dan Benick led the Terps with three hits while Lemmerman and Freiman each had three hits for the Blue Devils.
The Terps and Blue Devils play the rubber game of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. Senior Brett Jones will pitch for Maryland and face Eric Pfisterer of Duke.
-TERPS-
