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University of Maryland Athletics

Sam Hojnar JR
7
Illinois ILL 25-15, 11-4 B1G
11
Winner Maryland UMD 28-17, 8-10 B1G
Illinois ILL
25-15, 11-4 B1G
7
Final
11
Maryland UMD
28-17, 8-10 B1G
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Illinois ILL 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 3 0 7 9 0
Maryland UMD 2 1 4 0 0 0 1 3 X 11 12 2

W: McMannis, Joey (1-1) L: Rons, Jake (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Terps Take Series From Big Ten-Leading Illinois, 11-7

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland baseball took down Illinois, who sits at the top of the Big Ten, 11-7, in a rubber match at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium on Sunday. Illinois (25-15, 11-4 Big Ten) had previously won all four of its season series to begin the season. 

Maryland (28-17, 8-10 Big Ten) displayed strong hitting throughout its lineup. Chris Hacopian and Sam Hojnar each hit home runs in the contest. Hojnar hit two and notched his second two-homer outing of the season. His second homer of the afternoon was a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth of a one-run game.  
  Hojnar has 12 homers on the season, leading all Maryland batters. He went 3-for-5 and added a double, recording a team-high four RBIs and three runs. Hacopian has 11 homers on the season, the fourth most by a freshman in program history.
  Eddie Hacopian finished with three RBIs, going 2-for-4. He registered multiple hits in all three games against the Illini.  

Overall, six Terps drove in at least one run. Brayden Martin (2-for-4) hit two doubles, one of which resulted in an RBI, Devin Russell supplied an RBI single and Kevin Keister added one on a groundout as the other beneficiaries. Michael Iannazzo (2-for-3) had his second multi-hit game of his freshman season and added two runs.  

Joey McMannis started on the mound, pitched five innings and struck out four batters. He earned the first win of his career. Logan Berrier recorded the final three outs to end the game. 
  Swope's Take
"It's a good series win, I thought we just competed the whole weekend," Head Coach Matt Swope said. "Obviously there was multiple times yesterday and today where we kind of scored and then they punch back and we scored again and they punched back again. But like I've given them credit for all season, they kept fighting and they stayed positive and ended up pushing a couple huge runs there in the end. That's a big series win for the guys and hopefully propels us moving forward into the rest of the season."

Hojnar On His Second Home Run
"I knew I was gonna have a chance to drive in some runs [and] give us some space with two outs. I knew a hit would score a run and so I was just looking for a fastball over the plate. ... I got to an advantage count, so I knew I kind of knew fastball was coming. He gave me an elevated fastball, what I was looking for and I put enough on it to get it out." 

Breaking Down The Action
  • Maryland struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Chris Hacopian opened the scoring with a solo home run to left field. Brayden Martin then doubled to bring home Sam Hojnar. The Terps led 2-0 early. 
  • Illinois got a run back in the top of the second with an RBI single. 
  • Eddie Hacopian grounded out in the bottom of the inning, but Michael Iannazzo scored from third base. The Terps led 3-1. 
  • In the third, the Terps captured a 7-1 advantage. Hojnar homered to right center, and Devin Russell notched an RBI single. E. Hacopian then supplied a two-RBI single.    
  • Vytas Valincius hit a solo home run in the fourth, but Maryland still led 7-2. 
  • Connor Milton added a solo shot for the Illini in the fifth to cut the lead to four runs. The Illini loaded the bases and scored one run on a sacrifice fly. But Joey McMannis got out of the jam, and the Terps still led 7-4. 
  • Evan Smith worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. 
  • In the seventh, the Terps increased their lead to 8-4 after Kevin Keister drove in a run on a groundout. 
  • Valincius cracked a bases-clearing double in the eighth and suddenly, the Illini only trailed 8-7. 
  • Hojnar belted his second home run of the game in the eighth to take a commanding 11-7 lead. 
  • Logan Berrier entered the game in the ninth and recorded the final three outs.
In The Record Books
  • Chris Hacopian has the fourth-most home runs by a freshman in Maryland history, with 11. Kyle Rockefeller (1997) is third with 12 homers. 
Numbers To Know 
  • 1: Joey McMannis earned the first win of his career.
  • 2: Michael Iannazzo has two multi-hit games in his freshman season. 
  • 3: Sam Hojnar has three multi home run games in his career, two of which occurred this season. 
  • 4: Chris Hacopian has the fourth most home runs by a freshman in program history. 
  • 11: Hacopian hit his 11th home run of his freshman season.
  • 12: Brayden Martin recorded multiple hits for the 12th time in his freshman campaign.
  • 22: Hojnar has 22 career home runs in his career, including 12 this season.
  • 33: Hojnar recorded his 33rd multi-hit game.
  • 41: The Terps used their 41st different starting lineup this season on Sunday.
  • 46: Eddie Hacopian recorded the 46th multi-hit game in his Maryland career, including 23 this season.
Up Next
  • Maryland plays at Towson on April 30. The first pitch is at 3 pm, and the game will be streamed on FloBaseball and Maryland Baseball Network.
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