MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota scored seven eighth inning runs to defeat the Maryland baseball team, 9-5, at Siebert Field Friday night.
The Terrapins (18-16, 4-3 Big Ten) led until the Gophers' big second to last frame. Junior Madison Nickens hit a solo home run while redshirt freshman Andrew Bechtold reached base on three occasions and notched an RBI.
Maryland took the lead in the second. Freshman Marty Costes singled to right before moving to second on a Kevin Biondic sac bunt. Kevin Smith followed with a single to left to put runners on the corners with one down.
Senior Anthony Papio then tried to execute a squeeze bunt, but whiffed. Costes, who had broken to home, was caught in a rundown, but an errant Gopher throw allowed the freshman to scamper home and score the first run of the game.
Nickens struck in the fifth when he hammered a 0-2 pitch off Matt Fielder over the fence in right to give Maryland a 2-0. It was the junior's sixth big fly of the season.
Maryland plated another run in the sixth. Biondic singled to start the frame and was sent to second on Smith's sac bunt. He scored on Bechtold's single up the middle.
The Gophers knocked out Maryland starter Taylor Bloom in the sixth, but Robert Galligan got the Terps out of the jam after two runs came across. Ryan Selmer performed a similar feat in the seventh, highlighted by a sensational barehanded pickup and toss on a high chopper over the mound from Smith.
Minnesota broke the game open with seven runs off four Maryland pitchers in the eighth. The Terps responded with a pair of runs in the ninth, with Papio and Dan Maynard picking up RBIs, but Nickens and Nick Dunn struck out representing the go ahead with the bases loaded to end the game.
Maryland and Minnesota contest game two of the series Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Coverage can be seen on BTN Plus.
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