Left-hander Jake Drossner pitches in the Terps’ 10-1 win over Delaware on March 11, 2014.
The Terrapins baseball team was temporarily stranded. The team bus broke down on the way to Fairfax, Va., for yesterday’s matchup with George Mason, and players and coaches could only sit and wait for another bus to arrive.
When it finally did, the Terps gladly piled on and arrived late. Before the first pitch, they had a shortened 30-minute batting practice session.
But the Terps didn’t let the disruption to their pregame routine affect their performance in an 11-0 win over the Patriots at Spuhler Field. The Terps had a season high in hits, including seven doubles, and for the second straight game, they used early runs to build a sizable lead before a big inning put the game out of reach.
“You’ve got to be able to adjust to different situations, and our guys did a great job of doing that,” coach John Szefc said. “As a coaching staff, you can’t allow something like that to get in the way of what you’re trying to get done. That’s a very minor speed bump on the way, basically.”
The Terps scored three runs in the first two innings before a five-run fourth broke the game open. They’ve plated three or more runs in a single inning in four of the last six games, and 11 runs is their largest margin of victory this season.
Sunday, the Terps scored three runs in the first three innings and seven more in the sixth and seventh for an 11-3 victory at Wake Forest. The Terps also scored three or more runs during a single inning in victories over Virginia Commonwealth and Liberty last Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Eight of the nine starters had hits against the Patriots, and five Terps had multi-hit games, including second baseman Brandon Lowe, who went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, one run and one stolen base.
Szefc used four pitchers to complete the shutout, with each Terp pitching at least one inning.
Left-hander Jake Drossner pitched five innings and struck out three for his fourth victory while allowing three hits. He has a 2.03 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .194 average.
In his first start of the season Feb. 25, Drossner gave up four runs in five innings during a 13-6 victory against James Madison. But in his past four starts, Drossner has allowed three runs (two earned) in 23 innings.
“Probably the best part of that game for us was Jake Drossner’s start,” Szefc said. “He was completely dominant. He went through five innings and commanded three pitches. He just keeps getting better and better. He’s making rapid progress, not even minimal progress. It’s rapid.”
Last year, the Terps lost winnable midweek games against mediocre teams, including a defeat to Mount St. Mary’s. But since an 8-5 loss to Florida on Feb. 15, the Terps have won 12 straight nonconference games, defeating Liberty and VCU, schools that have beaten other ACC teams.
Szefc has preached consistency all season, and at least against nonconference teams, the Terps have found a groove. They know that any slip could damage their NCAA tournament hopes, a stage the Terps haven’t reached since 1971. So despite the distractions yesterday, the Terps never lost concentration and turned in one of their most complete performances of the season.
“Every game’s equally important and in order to reach our goal of making the postseason we have to take care of business in the midweek,” center fielder Charlie White said. “So we emphasize focus and not taking any opponent lightly because anything can happen in baseball.”
