MARYLAND
6
5
TOWSON
Ripken Cup
May 3, 2017 || Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium || 7 p.m.
ABERDEEN, Md. – Maryland scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie in a 6-5 victory over Towson at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium Wednesday night. With the win, Maryland captured the Ripken Cup for the third time in three tries in the contest.
The Terrapins (30-13) have now hit the 30-win mark for the sixth consecutive season, extending the program's current school record streak. Head coach John Szefc is the first head coach in Maryland history to lead the team to five straight 30-win campaigns.
After three and a half scoreless frames, in which both teams squandered scoring opportunities, Maryland grabbed the lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Senior Madison Nickens tripled to lead-off the inning and came in to score on junior Kevin Smith's sac fly.
Towson tied the game in the fifth, but the Terps struck back with two runs in the sixth. The home squad loaded the bases with a walk, single and hit by a pitch before senior Brandon Gum plated two runs with a chopper double that flipped over the bag at third and down the left field line.
The Tigers answered against in the top half of the seventh, plating three runs to take the lead. Smith's sac fly in the bottom half of the frame tied the game at 4-4.
Sophomore AJ Lee gave Maryland the lead with a solo home run to left to begin the eighth, his sixth of the season. Junior Will Watson gave the Terps what ultimately turned out to be the winning run with a bases loaded single that scored junior Zach Jancarski.
Towson plated a run and put the tying run on third in the ninth, but redshirt junior right-hander Ryan Selmer shut the door to earn his seventh save.
Maryland used a total of seven pitchers in the contest. Junior RHP Ryan Hill gave Maryland two spotless frames to start the game. Senior righty Mike Rescigno earned the victory, tossing a scoreless eighth and grabbing an out in the ninth.
Maryland returns to action this weekend for a three-game series at Illinois. All three games can be heard on the Maryland Baseball Network.
-Terps-
