MINNEAPOLIS, MN – No. 18 Maryland came back from trailing 5-1 to take a late lead on No. 7 Vanderbilt (6-4), but a two-run ninth inning rally gave the Commodores an 8-7 win on Saturday in the Cambria College Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With the win, the Terps fell to 4-6 on the season.
Maryland took the lead early on as Ian Petrutz got the Terps on the board in the top of the first with an RBI single. He would add another in the fifth, a five-run fifth inning for Maryland on his second RBI groundout of the day. Nick Lorusso looked to be the late hero for the Terps, hitting a go-ahead solo home run in top of the seventh inning to give the Terps the lead back at 7-6.
Following in the footsteps of previous games, where the Terps used the long ball to their advantage, the same happened on Saturday, starting in that fifth inning as Kevin Keister hit his first of the season, a three-run shot to dead center as Maryland took a 6-5 lead over the Commodores.
Vanderbilt was as home run happy in Saturday's game, hitting three, including two solo homers from RJ Austin and a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first from Enrique Bradfield Jr. off the first pitch he saw from Terps starter Nick Dean. Austin had the big day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, two homers and two runs scored. Bradfield tied things up in the ninth with an RBI single and two batters later, RJ Shreck plated home the winning run with an RBI sacrifice fly.
Dean powered through five innings of work for the Terps, giving up six earned runs and six hits while striking out six. The real story came from the bullpen and Nigel Belgrave, who came in relief, giving up one earned in 3+ innings of scoreless baseball for Maryland, including stranding two Vanderbilt runners in the eighth to end the Commodores threat and keep it a one-run game in favor of the Terps.
Matt Shaw and Keister led the Terps offensively, each recording two hits as Keister's three-run homer led Maryland in RBI. Despite not recording a hit in the game
Ian Petrutz recorded two RBI for Maryland.
Breaking Down The Action
- Petrutz opened up the scoring for Maryland in the top of the first inning with an RBI groundout, 1-0.
- Bradfield hit a leadoff homer for Vanderbilt in the bottom of the first to tie things up before Diaz gave the Commodores the lead with an RBI double, 2-1.
- Maldonado and Bulger added onto the lead to give Vanderbilt a four-run first with an RBI sac fly and RBI single, respectively, 4-1.
- Austin hit the Commodores' second homer of the day in the bottom of the second inning, a solo shot, 5-1.
- Maryland got two back in the top of the fifth inning thanks to Petrutz's second RBI groundout of the day and a fielder's choice from Hacopian as Shaw scored, 5-3.
- Keister made it a five-spot for the Terps in the fifth with a three-run homer to dead center as they took the lead against the Commodores, 6-5.
- Austin hit his second homer of the game as the Commodores tied things up in the bottom of the fifth, 6-6.
- Lorusso hit his fourth homer of the season with a solo shot in top of the sixth as the Terps took a one-run lead, 7-6.
- Belgrave stranded two in the eighth, including a one-out triple, keeping Maryland in front, 7-6.
- Bradfield tied things up with an RBI single up the middle and Schreck won the game for Vanderbilt with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, 8-7.
By The Numbers
- 1: Kevin Keister's bases clearing knock to center was his first home run of the 2023 season
- 2: Home runs in the game for the Terps
- 4: Home runs from Lorusso in 10 games this season for Maryland
Up Next
- The Terps will play Hawaii in their final game of the Cambria College Classic in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 10:30 a.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on B1G+ and the Maryland Baseball Network.
