March 16, 2011
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Freshman designated hitter Tim Kiene's three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth broke open a two-run game and Maryland cranked out a season-high 14 hits to defeat Liberty 10-5 Wednesday afternoon.
Maryland had a 6-2 lead cut to 6-5 in the sixth inning when Liberty scored three runs on two hits and two walks, but the Terps came right back with a four-run inning capped by Kiene's home run to deep right-center field.
Korey Wacker went 3-for-4 and was one of five Terps with multiple hits, Chuck Ghysels (1-1) struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings to earn his first win and Maryland (9-8) earned a split in its two-game series with Liberty (9-9).
Second baseman Ryan Holland went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles that drove in three runs and freshman catcher Alex Ramsay, a native of Severna Park, went 2-for-2 with a walk and a RBI in his first collegiate start. Left fielder Brandon Padula and shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez also had two-hit days and all but one starter had at least one base knock.
"Our offense did an excellent job of making adjustments to Liberty's plan," said head coach Erik Bakich. "I thought our approach today was the best it's been all year; the difference was we got pitches to hit because we made the pitcher work. Our problem the last couple of weeks is we've been overly aggressive to pitchers pitches and not the pitches we can drive. Today we did a great job of having a plan, looking for pitches we can hit hard and lying off the pitches we can't."
After managing just five hits in Tuesday's 11-4 loss, the Terps started hot Wednesday. Holland ripped a double off the top of the wall in left-center field to score Charlie White in the first inning and the rest of the lineup responded in the second after Liberty tied it at 1-1.
Maryland's first six batters recorded a hit in the second, with Holland's double to the gap in right-center field scoring the third and fourth runs of the inning for a 5-1 lead.
Liberty and Maryland exchanged single runs in the third and both teams went scoreless over the next two innings as Ghysels left the game with a 6-2 lead. That set the plate for Liberty's three-run top of the sixth and Kiene's homer in the bottom half.
"That was the dagger to them because they were sniffing a comeback," said Bakich. "Their dugout was starting to get loud and they had closed the gap to one run and then when Tim Kiene hit that three-run bomb that silenced them. It was the biggest hit of the night."
Charlie Haslup continued to be Maryland's most effective setup man by pitching 2 2/3 innings and allowing just one base runner. Just two of the 30 batters Haslup has faced this season have reached base.
Wacker moved from center field to the mound and struck out two in a perfect ninth inning, increasing his scoreless inning streak to seven and helping Maryland snap a four-game losing streak.
The Terps play their Atlantic Coast Conference home opener against Boston College Friday at 7 p.m. Games two and three of the series are scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
