Box Score OXFORD, MS – No. 13 Maryland saw a late lead slip away as the Terps fell to No. 4 Ole Miss, 12-6, on Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. The Terps fell to 3-3 on the season after the loss against the Rebels (5-1). 

What looked to be a relatively comfortable 4-2 Ole Miss lead in the top of the fifth turned into disaster for Rebels pitching as the combination of Sam Tookoian and Matt Parenteau walked six Maryland hitters and five hitters consecutively as the Terps took a 5-4 lead thanks to three-straight bases-loaded walks. Maryland added on to the lead at 6-4 in the top of the seventh as Luke Shliger reached second on a ball into left field, allowing Bobby Zmarzlak to score from first.

Saturday's matinee showdown was back-and-forth from the beginning as Ole Miss took the lead from a Kemp Alderman RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, only for Maryland to tie things back up in the top of the second thanks to an Elijah Lambros RBI sacrifice fly.

Ian Petrutz, the offensive hero for the Terps on Friday night, continued his hot start to the 2023 season with a solo home run in the top of the third, his fourth of the season and second of the series. 

The Rebels, who once again struggled on the mound early on, were able to attack Maryland starter Nick Dean at the plate, with Ethan Groff giving them a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth off a two-run, bases-loaded single.

Ole Miss loaded things up in the bottom of the seventh inning as Maryland was up 6-4 as the Terps struggled on the mound, giving up three runs, headlined by a Jacob Gonzalez two-run single as the Rebels took a 7-6 lead. Anthony Calarco added on to the lead with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give Ole Miss a three-run lead at 9-6. The Rebels scored five in the eighth alone as Garrett Wood added on with an RBI single and Groff rounded things out with a two-run single.

Dean powered through five innings for the Terps, striking out five over five innings of work as he left the game with the lead. Offensively, Petrutz led the Terps, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Despite not recording a hit, Lambros had a team-leading two RBI. Shliger reached base three times and recorded an RBI.

The Rebels were led offensively by Jacob Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one of four Ole Miss players with multiple RBI and four with multiple hits. Ethan Groff went 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBI and Calarco went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI.

Coach Vaughn's Take

"Nick Dean competed his tail off for us, when Nick Dean has his A-game he does what did last Saturday, when he has his C or D game you get what you get today and it still leaves us with a chance to win. The way I look at it we played an average game today in a lot of ways and we were still nine outs away from taking the series on the road. It's one of those things we come back tomorrow and play our game we will give ourselves a chance."

Breaking Down The Action

• Alderman got Ole Miss on the board first to begin the scoring, an RBI double down the left field line in the bottom of the first, 1-0.
• Lambros tied things up with an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of second inning, 1-1.
• Gonzalez hit a single that went off just over the shoulder of Hacopian after a high bounce to score Lege as the Rebels took the lead in the bottom of the second, 2-1.
• Petrutz hit his second home run of the series and second in as many games, a solo homer to tie things up in the third, 2-2.
• Groff came up with a bases loaded single in the fourth allowing the Rebels to retake the lead, 4-2.
• Ole Miss pitching allowed a string of walks in the fifth, including three straight bases-loaded passes to Zmarzlak, Lambros and Shliger as Maryland took the lead, 5-4.
• Dean struck out two Rebels hitters in the fifth, stranding a runner on base, 5-4.
• Burford slipped in left as Shliger hit one past him, allowing Zmarzlak to score from first in the top of the seventh, 6-4.
• McCoy loaded the bases in the seventh and while Belgrave got two quick outs, the Rebels took advantage with a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single from Gonzalez, 7-6.
• Calarco hit a two-run homer into the right field bullpen in the eighth as the Rebels took a three-run lead. Pinch hitter Wood follows up later in the inning with an RBI single and Groff rounds out a five-run frame with a two-run single, 12-6.

By The Numbers

• 2: Consecutive games that Petrutz has hit a home run, he has four total through the Terps first six games.
• 5: Consecutive walks to Maryland hitters from Ole Miss pitching in the fifth inning.
• 6: Straight games to start the season with a home run from Maryland hitters.
• 5: Strikeouts for Dean in five innings pitched.
• 11: Total walks drawn by Maryland hitters.

Up Next

• The Terps and Rebels conclude their three-game series tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on SECN+ and the Maryland Baseball Network.