This weekend’s series at Boston College brought two unexpected results for the Terrapins baseball team.
After a 16-run offensive explosion Wednesday at St. John’s, a 10-3 blowout loss to the Eagles to open the three-game set on Friday was surprising. So was the offensively challenged 5-4 loss the next day that ensured the Terps’ fourth ACC series loss in as many weekends.
At the same time, starter David Carroll wasn’t expected to be good for eight innings of one-run ball, not after leaving his March 24 start at Miami with neck and shoulder stiffness and being doubtful for the weekend.
“He stepped up,” coach Erik Bakich said after the Terps avoided the series sweep with a 7-1 win Saturday. “We needed a clutch performance from somebody and he gave it to us. That’s what we needed to leave Boston College with, a win, and he did that for us. That was very big in that regard.”
The Terps (18-11, 3-9 ACC) entered the last game of the series Saturday after a disjointed schedule. Initially prepared for a three-game weekend set, the teams scheduled a doubleheader for Friday afternoon and a single game for Saturday. The doubleheader’s nightcap was called Friday after the tenth inning, however, due to darkness and resumed Saturday afternoon before Game 3.
Though Carroll (3-1) delivered a strong performance Saturday, the pitching in the two games before his received mixed results. Right-hander Brady Kirkpatrick (1-4) lasted only one inning Friday, giving up five runs (four earned) on three hits and one walk. Reliever Michael Boyden was tagged for four runs out of the bullpen, and Boston College cruised. Third baseman K.J. Hockaday paced the Terps’ offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and one run scored.
In Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader, right-hander Brett Harman pitched seven innings, giving up four runs in the second inning and then giving way to closer Jimmy Reed (0-1). The left-hander pitched 4.1 innings split over the day’s two games before the Eagles (12-15, 4-8) finally broke through in the 12th.
The Terps got a 3-for-5 performance from right fielder Jordan Hagel and a 2-for-4 line from first baseman Tim Kiene, but it wasn’t enough to come through late. They had only one hit after the ninth inning.
“We had a lot of opportunities to win and we never quite got that clutch hit to fall,” Bakich said. “We had a lot of quality at-bats and hit some balls hard, but couldn’t get the hits to fall. I think we were just living right on the edge for five innings there at the end of the game.”
All that set the stage for Carroll’s performance later Saturday to help the Terps avoid their second series sweep of the year. It wasn’t expected, but it certainly wasn’t unwanted.
“He gave us exactly what we needed coming off of an emotional extra-inning loss,” Bakich said. “He came out and dominated. He didn’t walk anybody. He was pitching down in the zone, throwing a lot of strikes, letting our defense work.”
dgallen@umdbk.com
