COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland (18-11, 3-1 B1G) took down Rutgers (15-14, 1-3 B1G), 6-4, with some late-inning magic in Friday night's conference series opener at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium in College Park. The Terps moved to 10-3 at home this season following the series-opening victory.
Nick Lorusso continued to make history for the Terps on Friday, hitting his 12th homer of the season, a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning that gave Maryland a 6-3 lead over Rutgers. Earlier in the game, he extended his hitting streak to 28 games, recording a hit in 28 of Maryland's 29 games this season.
He now has 46 RBI this season, which not only leads the team, but all of the Big Ten, bringing him into a tie with Texas Tech's Gavin Kash and Florida's Jac Caglianone for second in the country.
Maryland initially trailed 2-0 after Rutgers put up a two-spot in the first after a RBI groundout from Josh Kuroda-Grauer and a bases loaded RBI walk to Hugh Pinkney. Maryland got a run back in the bottom-half of the inning after a RBI sacrifice fly from Kevin Keister, scoring Bobby Zmarzlak.
Zmarzlak scored to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth, benefitting off an error from Scarlet Knights catcher Andy Axelson. Matt Shaw started the scoring in the sixth for the Terps, hitting his 40th career homer and 11th homer of the season, a solo shot to right-center field.
Jason Savacool recorded another quality start for Maryland, throwing 6.2 innings of three-run baseball, striking out three and giving up six hits.
Breaking Down The Action
- Rutgers got things started in the top of the first inning as a RBI groundout from Kuroda-Grauer and a bases-loaded walk with Pinkney up gave the Scarlet Knights a 2-0 lead.
- Keister got the Terps on the board in the bottom of the first with a RBI sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
- Lasko homered to center for Rutgers, extending its lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth.
- Shaw answered right back for the Terps with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, making it a 3-2 game.
- Zmarzlak came around after an error from second, tying the game at 3-3 in the sixth.
- Lorusso blasted Maryland back in front with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, breaking the tie as the Terps led, 6-3.
- Love cut into the Maryland lead to 6-4 in the top of the eighth inning with a RBI sacrifice fly.
By The Numbers
- 6: Number of starts this season for Savacool of at least six innings pitched.
- 10: Home wins this season for Maryland after Friday night's win.
- 11: Homers this season for Shaw after his seventh-inning solo shot.
- 28: Lorusso's hitting reached 28 consecutive games following a third-inning single.
- 40: Career home runs for Shaw, moving him into a tie with Maxwell Costes for second place in program history.
- 46: RBI this season for Lorusso, putting him in a tie for the second-most in college baseball.
Up Next
- The Terps and Scarlet Knights continue their series at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium at 3 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and the Maryland Baseball Network.
