COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Junior Kevin Smith blasted two deep home runs to left field as the Maryland baseball team secured a 7-1 victory and took the first of three against Northwestern in the final series of the year at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.

The Terrapins (33-15, 15-7 Big Ten) scored seven behind a great performance from junior Brian Shaffer, who threw eight innings while allowing just one run and striking out eight. Sophomore A.J. Lee had three hits and an RBI.

After four scoreless innings from both teams, the Terps notched two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Junior Zach Jancarski singled to left field to knock in the first run of the game and Smith scored on a Northwestern wild pitch.

After another Shaffer scoreless inning, the Terrapins plated another three runs from a Lee single to center that scored junior Will Watson. Smith then blasted a rocket to left center field to give the Terps a 5-0 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Terps claimed another run when sophomore Marty Costes slapped a pitch into right field to score Jancarski.

The Wildcats scored their lone run on an RBI double in the eighth. The Terps came right back in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own from a Smith solo home run to left. Smith is the first Maryland player to hit double digit home runs in a season since Jose Cuas hit 11 in 2015.

Sophomore pitcher John Murphy came in relief of Shaffer in the ninth to close out the Wildcats.

Shaffer faced the minimum in five of his eight innings and earned his seventh win of the season. He moves into a tie for second all time in career wins at Maryland with John Rayne (20).

Maryland is now 20-1 at home, the best home mark in the country.  It's the first time Maryland has won 20 games at home since 2014, when the Terrapins finished with a 21-7 mark.

The Terrapins will face the Wildcats in the second of the three game series tomorrow at 3 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus and fans can tune in live on Maryland Baseball Network. 

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