Kevin Martir
The Terrapins baseball team began their quest to end a 42-year NCAA tournament drought with a 4-0 loss Friday night at Florida.
The Gators, an NCAA tournament team last season, displayed qualities, such as situational hitting, the Terps must develop if they want to advance to the postseason.
A three-run third inning doomed the Terps. Starter Jake Stinnett pitched five innings and allowed three earned runs, three hits and one walk, all in the third inning.
While the Gators capitalized on their few scoring opportunities, with the help of a Terp error, the Terps went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Designated hitter Michael Montville and right-fielder Anthony Papio, combined to go 0-4 with three strikeouts in such situations.
There were positives for the Terps, though. Stinnett, who replaced former ace Jimmy Reed as the No. 1 starter, had a solid outing, finishing with seven strikeouts. Catcher Kevin Martir singled and doubled in his first two at-bats, advancing to third both times. Shortstop Blake Schmit was the only other Terp with a hit.
The Gators took the lead in the bottom of the third when Terps third baseman Jose Cuas committed a throwing error on left fielder Ryan Larson’s grounder.
With runners on second and third, Cuas threw home in an attempt to prevent shortstop Richie Martin from scoring, but his throw sailed away from Martir, allowing Martin and another Gator to score. It was an unusual defensive mistake for a Terps team that led the ACC in defensive fielding percentage last season.
The Terps had a chance to reduce the deficit in the fourth inning. After Martir’s lead-off double, he advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt but neither Montville nor Papio could drive him home. The Terps never mounted a serious offensive threat after that.
The Gators tacked on a run in the eighth and finished with seven hits. Terps right-hander Brandon Cuas pitched two innings and was charged with one earned run while left-hander Alex Robinson pitched an inning, allowing a hit.
