When right-hander Jared Price stepped off the mound in the fourth inning yesterday and headed to the dugout, the Terrapins baseball team trailed Florida State by four runs.
After three straight scoreless innings, the Seminoles finally got to Price, who exited with no outs and runners on first and third. Soon after, those players scored, and the Terps dropped the series rubber match, 7-0.
The Terps’ inability to limit Florida State’s big innings cost them a series victory this weekend at the No. 2 Seminoles, dropping two of three in Tallahassee, Fla. The Terps gave up 23 runs in the series and 19 of them came in just three innings.
“They started out in a couple cases with us just throwing too many balls and walking guys and putting good hitters in hitter’s counts,” coach John Szefc said. “I think it’s a combination of not having good focus and not executing pitches and not making plays too.”
This wasn’t the first time this season the Terps have dealt with this issue. While the Terps had relied on pitching and defense to win seven straight entering the weekend, they lost the season’s first series at Florida after allowing the Gators to score three or more runs in five innings.
There were, however, bright spots in this weekend’s series. Right-hander Mike Shawaryn improved to 4-0, allowing one run in 7.1 innings Saturday in a 5-1 victory. The freshman leads the team with a 0.75 ERA.
But the Terps couldn’t build on Saturday’s victory and clinch a series victory, leaving them with a familiar outcome in their first ACC series of the season. Last season, the Terps won 11 ACC games, their most conference victories since 1971 but didn’t win a conference series victory until the final weekend in April.
“We have to be able to get over the hump,” Szefc said. “All the little things can help you build from one win to two wins to three wins. This conference is very challenging; it’s a very unforgiving conference.”
In the series opener, right-hander Jake Stinnett and the Terps were locked in a tight game late. Though the Seminoles broke Stinnett’s streak of 21 scoreless innings with an unearned run, the score was 2-2 entering the seventh inning, and the offense was boosted by third baseman Jose Cuas’ three RBIs and three hits, which included a double and home run.
But Florida State scored 13 straight runs in the seventh and eighth, breaking open the game and leaving Dick Howser Stadium with a 15-3 victory.
Stinnett was charged with six hits, three walks, four strikeouts and five runs (four earned) as he fell to 2-2 on the season. The Terps committed three errors this weekend after committing four errors during the seven-game winning streak.
The Terps were able to rebound with a 5-1 win Saturday behind designated hitter Kyle Convissar’s decisive two-run homer and Shawaryn’s quality start.
“I really established the zone with my fastball early in the game,” Shawaryn said. “By establishing the zone early in the game, it allowed me to make some pitches that were borderline, and they would be swinging at my changeup or slider.”
Convissar, who returned to the lineup last weekend after missing the first eight games due to injury, went 3-for-7 this weekend with two RBIs and two runs.
The Terps’ offense sputtered Sunday though, getting two hits off Seminoles right-hander Mike Compton in a 7-0 loss. The Seminoles’ six-run fourth inning propelled them to victory as Price failed to make it past the fourth inning for the second time in four starts.
The Terps’ offense has faced inconsistency so far this season, even during the lengthy winning streak. Pitching, especially starting pitching, allowed the Terps to capitalize on early runs or stay competitive until the final innings.
But this weekend, when the Terps faced stronger competition, old problems resurfaced.
“It really resolves around your starting pitching,” Szefc said. “A lot can go good for you based on how your starter did; it’s just the way the game is. We just have to find the right mix of starters and relievers.”
