April 21, 2009
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The visiting La Salle Explorers scored five unanswered runs to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning, but Mike Murphy broke the tie in the bottom half with a leadoff home run and the bullpen held the lead as the University of Maryland baseball team braved a 59-minute lightning delay and earned a 6-5 victory Tuesday evening at Shipley Field.
The Terrapins (19-21) scored five runs in the bottom of the second to build a working margin early off La Salle starter Drew Gerhart. With two on and no outs, left fielder Gerry Spessard drove an RBI double into the right-field corner. Center field Dan Benick then drove in another run on a sacrifice fly and right fielder A.J. Casario delivered an RBI single to center field to put the Terps up, 3-0.
David Poutier added another RBI single and Will Greenberg scored Casario with a double down the right-field line as Casario slid in under the tag from catcher Zack Feierstein.
Maryland starter Adam Kolarek pitched four shutout innings to keep the lead at five runs, allowing four hits and striking out four batters.
However, La Salle (15-20) mounted a two-out rally in the fifth against Terps reliever Kyle Blackwell. With two outs and nobody on, Tony Negrin legged out an infield single and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches. Jeff Flax brought Negrin home with a double off the center-field wall to get the Explorers on the board. John Malloy followed with an RBI single up the middle and subsequently scored on an RBI double by TJ Chism.
The Explorers added two more runs with two outs in the seventh as Malloy homered to right field to tie the game at 5-5.
Murphy led off the bottom of the seventh for the Terps and appeared to draw a walk on a 3-1 pitch from Cody Weiss. However, the pitch was called a strike and Murphy had to come back to the batter's box. The strike call turned out to be a blessing for the Terps as Murphy launched Weiss' next pitch over the wall in right-center field for his 29th career home run, moving him into sixth place on Maryland's all-time list.
Up 6-5, Ian Schwalenberg came out of the bullpen and tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
A thunderstorm hit College Park in the middle of the eighth and halted play for 59 minutes. Maryland failed to add any insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth and Schwalenberg returned to close the game out in the ninth.
A hit batsman and a sacrifice bunt to start the ninth got the tying run in scoring position for the Explorers and Negrin nearly tied the game with one out.
Negrin grounded a sharp grounder into the hole on the left side of the infield. Alfredo Rodriguez, who entered the game before the inning as a defensive replacement, made an immediate impact on the game. Rodriguez made a diving stop going to his right to prevent the ball from getting into left field and caught pinch runner Rick Gehman in between bases and gunned him down at second base from his knees. Schwalenberg retired the next batter to finish the game and earn his second save of the season.
Blackwell earned his first career win while Weiss took his fifth loss of the season.
The Terps return to Shipley Field at 7 p.m. Wednesday as No. 27 George Mason visits College Park.
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