COLLEGE PARK, MD — No. 23 Maryland baseball's best start in program history continued as it opened Big Ten play on Friday, but not before an action-packed thriller against one of its conference foes. The Terps (21-5) went back and forth with Penn State (9-14) on a chilly night at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium, and an eighth-inning 3-run dinger off
Chris Alleyne's bat sealed an 8-4 victory.
Nick Dean started on the mound. Maryland's ace pitched six innings, surrendering three runs on four hits while striking out six. Freshman
Noah Mrotek relieved him with his longest outing of the year, pitching the final three innings and earning his second win of the season.
Breaking Down The Action
- Penn State scored the game's first run in the 2nd inning, when a couple of errors allowed Jay Harry to score from first base.
- After leading off the home half of the 2nd with a walk, Maxwell Costes scored on a groundout to even the game at one.
- Zmarzlak's big fly gave Maryland a two-run lead for a few innings, until the Nittany Lions knotted it back up with a pair in the 6th
- Penn State took a 4-3 lead on a sac fly from Billy Gerlott in the top of the 7th.
- Maryland had a quick answer in the bottom of the 7th, as Nick Lorusso scored Luke Shliger to even the game at four.
- With two outs in the last of the 7th, Maxwell Costes ripped a base hit to drive home Chris Alleyne and put the Terps ahead, 5-4.
- Alleyne's eighth-inning 3-run homer gave Maryland an 8-4 lead.
- Despite Penn State getting a couple runners on base to start the ninth, a strikeout and 4-6-3 double play ended any hopes the Nittany Lions had.
Bobby Z and Bubba Blasts
- In the bottom of the fourth inning, Bobby Zmarzlak launched one into left field — so high and so far that neither of the outfielders could even move. The Terps' left fielder absolutely crushed his fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot that gave his team a 3-1 lead.
- Chris Alleyne blasted one to the toughest wall in the park in the bottom of the 8th — and the ball hopped over the batter's eye. It was a 3-run bomb that gave Maryland a commanding 8-4 advantage.
Notable Numbers
- 3: Mrotek pitched three innings in relief, the longest outing of the Bowie native's young career.
- 8: Alleyne hit his eighth home run of the season. That's how many big flies with which he finished the 2021 campaign.
- 11: Shliger went 3-for-5, recording his 11th multi-hit game of the season.
- 26: Lorusso extended his on-base streak to 26.
Up Next
- Maryland and Penn State meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
- The action can be seen on on Big Ten Plus and heard on the Maryland Baseball Network.
