Infielder Jose Cuas hits the ball during the Terps vs. Navy baseball game on April 16.
The Terrapins baseball team has struggled on the road this season, especially in ACC play.
But the Terps are off took a step toward bucking that trend and improving their postseason resume Friday with a 21-1 plastering of Pittsburgh on Friday at Charles L. Cost Field in Game 1 of a three-game series. The Terps set a season-high in runs for a single game on a season-high 18 hits, and every starter had at least one base hit.
Right-hander Jake Stinnett picked up his sixth victory, and pitched six innings of one-run ball. The senior gave up six hits and two walks while striking out four. After Pittsburgh (22-25, 11-14 ACC) scored in the bottom of the first inning, the Terps (31-19, 13-14) posted 16 runs in the next three innings, including nine runs in the third, the most the Terps plated in an inning since 2008.
All nine runs in the inning came with two-outs, and the Terps batted around. They tallied six hits, three of which were doubles, and took advantage of two Panthers’ errors to score five unearned runs.
Third baseman Jose Cuas opened the scoring with an RBI double down the right field line and drove in the last runs of the inning with a 2-RBI single to center. Cuas led the Terps by going 4-for-6 with five RBIs and one run scored. Cuas was one of five Terps to have multiple hits.
The Terps tacked on another run in the fourth to take a 10-1 lead.
An inning later, the Terps continued the onslaught with six more runs. Right fielder Anthony Papio and designated hitter Nick Cieri had back-to-back 2-RBI hits, which drove in the last four runs of the inning.
The Terps plated two more runs in the eighth inning, and catcher Kevin Martir hit a three-run homer in the ninth to cap the scoring. The 21 runs were the most the Terps scored since 2012.
