Box Score ANN ARBOR, MI – Maryland baseball dropped game two of its series against Michigan, 12-1, at Ray Fisher Stadium on Saturday. Each team is tied in the series with one win apiece.
Michigan (10-17, 3-2 B1G) scored 10 unanswered runs to begin the game, including an eight-run bottom of the second inning, to mount a lead Maryland (20-7, 3-2 B1G) was unable to overcome. Devin Russell put an end to the run in the fifth with a solo home run, but the game was already out of reach. It was his fourth of the season.
Kevin Keister and Michael Iannazzo were the only other Terps to register a hit. Keister supplied two singles, going 2-for-4. Iannazzo recorded his first collegiate hit in the ninth inning.
Maryland utilized several arms from its bullpen. Logan Koester drew the start, but Andrew Johnson, Meade Johnson, Evan Smith and Duke McCarron split time on the mound. A. Johnson and Smith each went two innings. M. Johnson struck out three batters in just 1.2 innings.
Michigan starting pitcher Jacob Denner pitched a season-high 7.2 innings and struck out six batters. Eight different Wolverines drove in at least one run. Cole Caruso went 4-for-4 with three doubles, two RBIs and two runs.
Breaking Down The Action
- Michigan opened the game wide open in the bottom of the second inning by scoring eight runs. Collin Priest hit a two-run home run and Stephen Hrustich provided a solo shot. The Wolverines cracked two separate doubles that brought in a total of three runs. The final two runs were scored on a two-RBI single. The Wolverines enjoyed a commanding 8-0 lead entering the third.
- Michigan added two more runs in the fourth on an RBI single and double to lead 10-0.
- Maryland finally put an end to the scoring run with a long solo home run in the fifth by Devin Russell. The Terps still trailed 10-1.
- Two sacrifice flies in the sixth gave Michigan a 12-1 advantage.
- Michael Iannazzo recorded his first career hit in the ninth and the Terps put runners on first in second. However, Michigan escaped the inning and won 12-1.
Swope's Take
"It's just baseball sometimes. You give up an eighth spot in the second inning, there's not many games you're going to be able to come back from that," head coach
Matt Swope said. "But you try to preach the same things whether you're up or down and just try to finish the game and have those 27 outs. The only good thing about some of those games is you have some of the younger guys come out and compete and see what they got."
Numbers To Know
- 1: Michael Iannazzo recorded his first collegiate hit.
- 5: Devin Russell hit the fifth home run of his career.
- 26: Maryland is No. 26 in RPI.
- 48: Kevin Keister finished with his 48th career multi-hit game.
Up Next
- Maryland is back in action tomorrow, March 31 for game three of the series in Ann Arbor at noon. The game will be live on Big Ten Network and Maryland Baseball Network.
