May 10, 2009
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
A.J. Casario drove in four runs and Tyler Bennett hit his fourth home run in two games to lead the University of Maryland baseball team to a 15-4 victory against Wake Forest Sunday afternoon at Shipley Field. The Senior Day win completed a series sweep of the Demon Deacons, giving the Terrapins their first sweep of an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since doing so against NC State in 2002.
The Terps (27-26, 10-20 ACC) pounded out a season-high 21 hits and every starter registered at least one hit, with eight of the nine contributing a multi-hit performance. The 15 runs scored was the most scored by Maryland against an ACC opponent since defeating North Carolina, 15-8, March 17 2006 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
For the third straight game, the Demon Deacons (21-27 6-21 ACC) took an early lead, 1-0, in the top of the second inning on a Carlos Lopez RBI groundout. However the Terps answered with single runs in the bottom of the second and third getting a sacrifice fly from Alfredo Rodriguez and an RBI single from David Poutier to take a 2-1 lead.
Wake Forest rebounded with two runs off Maryland starter Scott Swinson in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead, but would never have the upper hand the rest of the contest.
With one man on and one out in the bottom of the fourth, Casario muscled up against Wake Forest starter Garrett Bullock, launching a two-run homer to center field for a 4-3 Terps lead. It was Casario's 10th round tripper of the season.
Swinson tossed a scoreless fifth and sixth inning and then Bennett continued his torrid series in the bottom of the sixth.
Bullock walked Casario and allowed a double to Mike Murphy to put runners at second and third with one out, forcing Bullock from the game. Joel Ernst came in to face Bennett, but the move didn't pay off. Ernst fell behind in the count, 2-0, and Bennett sat on a pitch he wanted and crushed a towering three-run homer off the light pole in left-center field to put the Terps up four runs, 7-3.
A Weldon Woodall solo home run off Maryland reliever Ian Schwalenberg cut the Demon Deacons' deficit to 7-4 in the top of the eighth, but the Terps exploded in the bottom half to put the game out of reach.
Murphy struck out to lead off the inning but then 10 straight Maryland batters reached safely, including eight consecutive hits at one point.
A hit batsman and a walk put two runners on with one out, forcing pitcher Mark Adzick from the game. However, Ryan McGrath compounded the Demon Deacons' bullpen issues, allowing an RBI double to David Poutier.
Following Poutier's double, his third hit of the game, freshman Matthew Murakami pinch hit for Mike Rozak, who entered the game earlier as a defensive replacement. With the infield drawn in, Murakami grounded a single straight up the middle to score a pair of runs. Following a Dan Benick single, Rodriguez drove in his second run of the game with an RBI double to left field.
After failing to record an out, McGrath was replaced by Ryan Bouton, who subsequently allowed a run-scoring single off the bat of Jensen Pupa. A two-run single by Casario and a Will Greenberg sacrifice fly completed the scoring for the Terps in the inning.
Swinson gave the Terps a quality start, allowing three runs in six-plus innings to earn his fourth win of the season. Bullock took the loss for the Demon Deacons, allowing six runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Schwalenberg pitched the final three innings to earn his third save of the season.
Bennett combined to go 6-for-12 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in the series. Bennett hit half his home runs of the season this weekend alone and drove in nearly half his season-RBI total, as well. Bennett's three home runs and eight RBIs in Saturday's victory tied Maryland's single-game records in both categories.
With 10 ACC wins, the Terps won double-digit conference games for the first time since 1972.
Eight Maryland seniors were honored before the game, as Murphy, Gerry Spessard, Benick, Greenberg, Pupa, Mike Moss, Nathan Steelman and team manager Jamie Severt received framed jerseys.
Spessard went 2-for-3 and reached base three times before being replaced in the field by Rozak and Moss pinch hit in the eighth and reached, as well, meaning all the senior position players reached base in their final games at Shipley Field.
Maryland finishes the season Tuesday afternoon at Delaware. If the Terps can defeat the Blue Hens, they will post their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1980 and 1981.
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