COLLEGE PARK, MD -- The Terps scored six runs in the eighth inning in rallying to stay alive in the College Park Regional with a dramatic 10-5 victory over Wake Forest in an elimination game on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Bob 'Turtle' Smith Stadium.
Maryland (47-13) will now play UConn (48-13) on Sunday night at 7 p.m., with a chance to advance to Monday's Regional Final with another victory. Buy your tickets here for Sunday night.
Maryland scored all six runs in the eighth with two outs. Luke Shliger's double to the left-center gap with two outs brought home Kevin Keister with the go-ahead run to put Maryland ahead 6-5. Then Chris Alleyne drilled a two-run homer to center field – his school-record tying 23rd bomb of the season – to put the Terps up 8-5. After a pair of walks, Troy Schreffler Jr., doubled in Matt Shaw for a 9-5 lead. Earlier in the inning, Bobby Zmarzlak tied the game with a two-run homer to leftfield, as Maryland clawed back from a 5-2 deficit.
In the seventh, Kevin Keister's solo shot cut the deficit to one at 5-3, setting up the decisive eighth.
Overall, the Terps smacked five homers as Maxwell Costes blasted his 15th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning, as he went 2-for-5. Ian Petrutz continued his torrid play, going 2-for-5 with a homer. Shliger went 2-for-6 with that game-winning RBI.
In relief of starter Nick Dean (5 ⅔ innings, seven hits, four earned runs and seven strikeouts), David Falco Jr. was a hero, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out seven.
Wake Forest finishes its season at 41-19-1.
Breaking Down The Action
• Wake Forest opened the scoring as Pierce Bennett doubled down the leftfield line to drive in Tommy Hawke as the first two Deacs reached base to make it 1-0. Brendan Tinsman's double off the left center wall brought home Bennett for a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
• Costes crushed a two-run homer into the leftfield bleachers to tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the second inning.
• Bennett regained the lead for Wake Forest as he hit a homer to centerfield just over the out-stretched glove of Chris Alleyne. The gave the Deacs a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
• Wake Forest added two more runs as Brock Wilken hit his 23rd homer of the season to put the Deacs up 5-2 in the sixth inning.
• Keister's homer, which went just inside the leftfield foul pole, trimming the Terps' deficit to two at 5-3, in the top the seventh.
• Maryland scored those six runs in the top of the eighth inning, all with two outs to take a commanding 9-5 lead.
• Petrutz launched a solo homer into the bleachers to make it 10-5.
Numbers To Know
• 1: Alleyne now stands tied for first in single-season home runs as he tied Derek Hacopian's record of 23, set in 1992.
• 1: Alleyne also had one amazing diving full-extension catch in centerfield to rob Bennett in the third inning.
• 8: Keister's homer extended his hitting streak to eight games (9-for-31) batting .290 over the span with three homers in the eight games.
• 11: Shliger has an 11-game hit streak at 20-for-49, for an average of .408.
• 12: Over his last 12 games, Petrutz is 21-for-48 (.429) with seven homers and 26 RBIs.
• 14: Costes is on a 14-game hit streak batting 23-for-59 and average of .390 of the 14 games.
• 18: Costes had his 18th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4.
• 24: Maryland scored 10 or more runs for the 24th time this season, equalling a school record for most games with 10-plus runs this season, set in 2004.
• 28: Shliger had his 28th multi-hit game of year, as he was 2-for-6.
• 40: Costes became the second Terp with 40 career home runs as he stands second on the all-time list only behind school record holder Paul Schager, who hit 43 from 1984-87.
Up Next
• Maryland will take on UConn tonight at 7 p.m., at Bob 'Turtle' Smith Stadium. If UConn wins tonight it will win the College Park Regional. If Maryland wins the teams will rematch on Monday night at 7 p.m.
• The game will be available on an ESPN Network.
• Tickets are available here.
