LOS ANGELES – Four Terrapins pitchers combined to give up just two hits as the third-seeded Maryland baseball team defeated second-seeded Ole Miss, 3-1, in the opening game of the Los Angeles Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium Friday night.
The Terrapins (40-21) have now won eight of their last 10 postseason games dating back to last season. LaMonte Wade's sensation catch in the eighth inning robbed Ole Miss of a run.
Sophomore Mike Shawaryn picked up his 13th victory of the season while junior Kevin Mooney notched his ninth save on the year.
Back-to-back-to-back doubles gave Maryland the two runs it would need in the first. Freshman Kevin Smith smacked the first two-bagger down the left field line before sophomore Brandon Lowe found the gap in right-center to plate Smith.
Junior Kevin Martir followed with a shot down the right-field line to score Lowe and give Maryland a 2-0 lead after one.
Shawaryn's best stretch of the game came after giving up two hits in the first. The sophomore got the last two batters of that inning through strikeouts before retiring the next eight into the fourth.
Maryland grabbed its last run of the game in the top half of the fourth. Freshman Kevin Biondic singled to start the inning and then moved to second on a Tim Lewis sacrifice bunt. Junior LaMonte Wade then singled to put runners on the corners with one down.
Smith then executed a perfect squeeze bunt and Biondic avoided the tag at home to put Maryland up 3-1.
The Terps consistently threatened throughout but were unable to blow the game open. The Rebels plated a run in the sixth after the Terps walked four straight, three from Shawaryn and one from junior LHP Robert Galligan, who used got the Terps out of the bases loaded jam.
Senior Bobby Ruse worked two innings of scoreless relief. Wade's sensational play in the eighth saw him climb the ladder and steal a home run from Sikes Orvis in straight away centerfield.
Mooney struck out the side in the ninth to earn the save.
Maryland is now 4-0 in NCAA Regional games dating back to last year. The Terps now have 40 wins, tying the school record set last season.
Shawaryn's nine strikeouts gives him 133 for the season, which is a new Maryland single season record. Jake Stinnett had 132 Ks last season.
Maryland will face the winner of the nightcap between UCLA and Bakersfield at 11 p.m. ET. The game can be seen live on ESPN3.
