After an improbable 10-run comeback that gave the Terrapin baseball team its first lead in yesterday night’s game against James Madison, coach Terry Rupp decided to buckle down and close out the game.
Enter pitcher Scott Swinson – the team’s pitching ace usually reserved for Friday night ACC battles – in the fifth inning, a rare spot for the junior starter.
Swinson pitched two scoreless innings and the Terps held onto the lead for the last four innings, beating the Dukes 17-10 in their highest- scoring effort of the season.
“I just tried to treat it as any reliever would,” Swinson said. “I listened to what pitching coach Jim Farr had to say, which was go out there and throw strikes.”
After a leadoff double on the first pitch of the game, James Madison finished the first inning with three runs. The Terps answered back with a run of their own in the second, but the Dukes caught fire in the third.
Terp starter Eric Potter was replaced after giving up two runs to start the inning, but Brett Jones didn’t fare better. Jones gave up five more runs, combining with Potter to give up seven total. At that point, the Terps were looking at a 10-1 deficit.
But the Terps offense began to chip away at the lead in the third, as second baseman David Poutier hit a double that brought in two runners. In the fourth, third baseman Mike Murphy blasted a home run, moving him to fifth on the all-time home run list in program history.
The Terps completed the comeback in the fifth inning with two more home runs, as Poutier and catcher Tyler Bennett both went yard. Poutier had arguably his best game as a Terp, driving in a career-high five RBI.
“We had good at- bats all weekend against North Carolina, but nothing came through,” Poutier said. “Against James Madison, we came in relaxed and ready to be aggressive at the plate, which translated into this performance.”
The comeback wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the relieving job by the Terps. Along with Swinson, Adam Kolarek and Dan Gentzler each threw two shutout innings. Kolarek registered the win, while Gentzler got the save.
The Terps closed out the game in the eighth inning when they scored six runs on five hits, led by back-to-back two-RBI doubles by Poutier and Will Greenberg.
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