Left-hander Jake Drossner throws a pitch during the Terps’ 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium on April 19, 2015.
Cal State Fullerton’s Scott Hurst stood on third base with one out in the fifth inning of the Terrapins baseball team’s game Friday in a strong position to score the Titans’ first run. But with the Terps leading by two runs, right-hander Mike Shawaryn struck out the next two batters to escape the inning.
Shawaryn faced the same situation the next inning with Titans third baseman Dustin Vaught 90 feet from home with one out. But displaying the composure he showed in the fifth, Shawaryn responded with two straight strikeouts in an eventual 2-1 win.
The sophomore’s dominating start set the stage for a string of strong pitching performances over the weekend, which powered the No. 24 Terps to take two of three series win over Cal State Fullerton.
“I slowed the game down out there,” Shawaryn said Friday. “Sometimes it can speed up with you. A man on third with one out, you can kind of get deer-in-headlights. I took a couple deep breaths and executed my pitches.”
After the second pitch of the game Saturday, starter Tayler Stiles was carted off the field when Vaught lined the ball back at the left-hander’s face. But the Terps’ pitching didn’t falter after the emotional scene.
Left-hander Robert Galligan, who entered Saturday’s game with a 1.21 ERA in 22.1 innings, earned his first win of the season in the Terps’ 9-5 victory. He limited the Titans to one run on six hits through six innings.
“It was big for him to step up right there,” catcher Kevin Martir said Saturday. “He was pitching out there for Tayler. He was like, ‘I’m doing this for him. I’m just going to step up and do what I have to do.’”
On Sunday, left-hander Jake Drossner, who entered the game 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA, started his fifth game this season for coach John Szefc’s squad. He tossed eight scoreless innings and allowed three hits.
But the Terps’ offense couldn’t solve the Titans pitchers Sunday, and Cal State Fullerton second baseman Taylor Bryant hit the game-winning home run off left-hander Alex Robinson in the 10th inning to lead the Titans to a 1-0 victory.
“That was probably the first time I went out there and threw eight strong since probably high school,” Drossner said.
Shawaryn’s win Friday marked his 20th career victory, tying the program record held by John Rayne, who played from 1989 to 1992. The Terps ace went eight scoreless innings and recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts.
While the Titans limited Szefc’s squad to two combined runs Friday and Sunday, the Terps’ pitchers put the offense in a position to win.
The Terps scored both their runs in the second inning Friday, and with Shawaryn shutting down the Titans, the two runs on four hits were enough to seal the victory.
The offense exploded for nine runs Saturday but again struggled in the final game of the series. The Terps failed to drive in any of their eight base runners Sunday.
Still, Drossner’s outing allowed the Terps to compete into extra innings.
“It was definitely a relief to us,” shortstop Kevin Smith said. “But at the same time, we have to put up some runs for him. If we won the game, he would have gotten a lot of credit.”
And even though the offense couldn’t provide the necessary run support for the sweep, Drossner’s start capped an impressive weekend on the mound.
“There really wasn’t a formula,” Drossner said. “Mike did the same thing, and Galligan did it on Saturday. Just compete and get right after them.”
