STATE COLLEGE, PA – Down to its final out in the ninth inning, the No. 20 ranked University of Maryland baseball team (36-18, 16-6 B1G) scored three runs as part of a five-run inning to cap its biggest comeback of the season, toppling Penn State (24-24, 6-15 B1G) in a 17-15 slugfest to the Terps' final Big Ten series Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Staring down a seven-run deficit after six frames of play at 13-6, Maryland mounted multiple comeback attempts in the late innings, plating 11 runs across the final three frames to steal the opening game and bolster their push for a second Big Ten title.
Nick Lorusso's single through the left side gave the Terps a 16-15 lead as he drove in
Luke Shliger and
Jacob Orr.
His go-ahead knock was the centerpiece of a five-run ninth inning for the Terps, which began with an RBI sac fly from Orr and a run-scoring double from Shliger.
David Falco Jr. struck out Josh Spiegel to clinch the back-and-forth epic. The reliever struck out four over the final 2.2 innings to earn his third win of the season.
The Terps continued their quest for a second consecutive Big Ten title, moving a half-game ahead of Indiana (15-6) as the Hoosiers play Michigan State tonight, for first place in the conference.
Maryland struck first with a three-run second, highlighted by a two-run
Elijah Lambros single, but Penn State responded with seven runs in the next half inning to put the Terps behind. Orr and
Matt Shaw responded dutifully two frames later, as Maryland worked its way back to make it a one-run contest.
After Maryland couldn't capitalize on rallies in the middle innings, Penn State scored six more runs between the fifth and sixth frames, putting the Terps in a 13-6 deficit.
In the seventh, the Terrapins attempted to take the lead in one swift rally, scoring six runs in the inning on the backs of a two-run double from
Kevin Keister and a pair of RBI singles from Lorusso and
Eddie Hacopian. With the tying run 90 feet away, Maryland couldn't continue the rally, as Penn State got the third out of the inning and immediately followed with two runs of its own.
Falco Jr. closed out the seventh with poise after the Nittany Lions had plated their runs and kept Penn State at bay in the eighth, setting up the heroics from the offense in the five-run ninth.
In total, the Terps accumulated a season-high 21 hits. Every Maryland starter had at least two hits and every scored at least one run. Lorusso, who leads the nation in RBI, added to that total with three for 93 on the season as he went 2-for-7. Lambros went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Ian Petrutz went 3-for-4 with two runs driven in.
Eddie Hacopian went 3-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI. Orr posted a 3-for-5 day with three runs scored and an RBI.
Kevin Keister was 2-for-5 with three runs driven in.
Shliger tied the program record for runs scored in a Maryland career with two in the game, giving him 181, to tie current coach
Matt Swope for the all-time mark. Shliger went 2-for-5 and drove in a run.
Coach Vaughn's Take
"We were just relentless and unbelievably tough, we talk about it, this time of year is all about finding a way to win."
"To come back there was quite the game, I'm proud of the effort, proud of the toughness and it is what it is you have to refuse to lose."
Breaking Down The Action
- Lambros got the Terps on the board first, putting Maryland up 2-0 with a two-RBI single in the top of the second.
- Maryland added another run in the second on a fielder's choice from Kevin Keister, giving the Terps a 3-0 edge.
- Penn State responded in the bottom of the second, as an error by the Terps, Kyle Hannon single and a bases-loaded hit by pitch knotted the game at 3-3.
- Johnny Piacentino continued the Nittany Lions' second-inning, putting Penn State up 4-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly. Another Maryland error gave Penn State an extra run to make it a 5-3 contest.
- Penn State's second inning continued, as the Nittany Lions extended their lead to 7-3 with a two-run double from Bobby Marsh.
- The Terps recovered a trio of runs in the top of the fourth, cutting the deficit to 7-6 with Matt Woods' heads-up baserunning on an overthrow to third along with an RBI knock from Orr and an RBI sacrifice fly from Shaw.
- Hannon cushioned Penn State's advantage in the fifth, making it 8-6 with an RBI sacrifice fly.
- The Nittany Lions tacked on five more runs in the sixth, building their lead to 13-6 with an RBI singles from Piacentino and Harry, a pinch-hit two-run triple from Grant Norris and a run-scoring double from Marsh.
- Keister got two runs back for the Terps with a two-run double in the seventh, shortening the margin to 13-8.
- The seventh inning rally continued, as the Terps made it a 13-11 contest with RBI singles from Lorusso and Hacopian along with a Petrutz sacrifice fly.
- A bases-loaded walk from Lambros brought Maryland within a run of the Nittany Lions, 13-12.
- The Nittany Lions tallied two runs in the seventh via an RBI walk from Marsh and a Josh Spiegel fielder's choice.
- Orr and Shliger pulled Maryland within a run with a sacrifice fly and an RBI double, respectively, to make it a 15-14 contest.
- With the bases loaded and two out, Lorusso drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a two-run single to give the Terps a 16-15 edge.
- Petrutz added an insurance run, making it a 17-15 Maryland lead with an RBI single in the ninth.
By The Numbers
- 6: Lambros drove in three runs and scored three or more runs in a game, both for the sixth time this season.
- 7: Lorusso's seven at-bats constituted the most by a Terp this year.
- 9: All nine Maryland starters recorded multiple hits in the effort
- 14: Lambros extended his season-best reached-base streak to 14 contests with his second-inning RBI single.
- 15: Jacob Orr's second-inning knock put his reached-base streak at 15, his longest of 2023.
- 16: Matt Shaw's 16-game hitting streak continued with a sixth-inning single.
- 21: The Terps, who lead the country in scoring, scored double-figures for the 21st time this season.
- 21: Maryland notched a season-best 21 hits.
- 25: Maryland's pitching staff punched out 10 Nittany Lions, marking the 25th time this season the Terps have reached double-digit strikeouts.
- 50: By driving in a pair of runs, Lambros reached 50 RBI in 2023, becoming the fourth Maryland player to record at least 50 runs batted in this year.
- 52: With a double in the fourth frame, Luke Shliger maintained his record-breaking reached-base streak of 52 games.
- 93: With three RBI , Lorusso drove in his nation-leading 93rd RBI of 2023.
- 181: Shliger scored a pair of runs to tie the school record for career run scored with current assistant coach Matt Swope.
- 532: Maryland added to its nation-leading runs scored total with 17 in the game for 532 overall, averaging 9.9 per game (second to Campbell, 10.1).
Up Next
- The Terps continue their final Big Ten series against Penn State with a Friday evening matchup at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and the Maryland Baseball Network.
