Taylor Bloom pitches Maryland baseball past Southeastern Louisiana, 8-1

Last weekend in Terrapins baseball right-hander Taylor Bloom’s start against Rhode Island, the sophomore allowed just one earned run and struck out nine over eight innings. But the Terps’ lineup couldn’t support him — they recorded just four hits — resulting in a loss.

Bloom took the mound again Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana and strung together another strong performance, allowing just one run on four hits in seven innings.

This time, the Terps offense backed Bloom. Coach John Szefc’s squad strung together nine hits, as it defeated the Tigers, 8-1, for its second straight victory in the Keith LeClair Classic this weekend. It’s the first time the Terps have won consecutive games this season.

For the third straight contest, the Terps (5-4) got on the board in the first inning.

After the Terps loaded the bases, left fielder Marty Costes almost belted the ball over the fence. It came up just short, resulting in a sacrifice fly driving in left fielder Madison Nickens.

The Lions (5-5) responded with their own score in the bottom of the first inning before catcher Justin Morris hit his second home run of the season in the second inning. And in the third inning, Costes blasted a three-run home run to extend the Terps’ lead to 5-1.

Szefc said Costes, who made his second straight start for the first time Saturday, has one of the most powerful swings on the team. He showcased that with his first home run of the year.

The freshman’s home run marked the third time this season the Terps have hit at least two long balls in a game.

In their 10-9 win over Tennessee on Friday, the Terps took three leads by three or more runs, but right-hander Mike Shawaryn allowed a season-high six runs, keeping the Volunteers in striking range.

The Terps never let Southeastern Louisiana crawl back into the game Saturday. They tallied three more runs and right-handers Hunter Parsons and Mike Rescigno came on in relief to seal the victory.

After scoring a combined 13 runs in their first five contests, the Terps have scored 38 runs in their previous four games.