Terrapins baseball coach John Szefc complimented right-hander Mike Shawaryn’s composure in pressure situations earlier this season.
With that poise, Shawaryn held the second best ERA in the Big Ten last season and earned the job as the Terps’ ace the past two years.
But in the Terps’ game at Iowa on Friday, Shawaryn gave up five runs in crucial scenarios.
Those scores gave the Hawkeyes momentum the rest of the way as they defeated the Terps, 8-1, snapping Szefc’s squad’s three-game win streak.
After the Terps offense racked up 11 hits in a 10-9 win over Liberty on Tuesday, they struggled Friday against right-hander C.J. Eldred, who entered the contest with a 1.00 ERA. Szefc’s squad, which has struggled driving in runners in some games this season, recorded just six hits Friday and went 1-for-18 with runners on base.
The Terps (10-11) took a lead the first inning, though, when designated hitter Nick Cieri hit a single to score left fielder Madison Nickens.
But the Terps wouldn’t score again. And in the second, Shawaryn gave up four runs with two outs.
Following right fielder Robert Neustrom’s RBI triple to drive in two runs, center fielder Joel Booker took Shawaryn deep, marking the second time the junior allowed a homer this season.
In the fifth, Shawaryn again retired the Hawkeyes’ first two batters. But he allowed two singles and hit a Hawkeyes player with a pitch as Iowa (8-12) extended its lead to 5-1.
And with the Terps trailing when Shawaryn exited the contest in the sixth, the bullpen allowed the Hawkeyes to add insurance. Right-hander Andrew Green gave up two runs in the seventh, and right-hander John Murphy allowed another score in the eighth.
Despite earning preseason All-American honors, Shawaryn holds the worst ERA of the Terps’ weekend rotation. Friday, he took his second loss of the year to tie his loss total from last season.
While Shawaryn has put the Terps offense in a position to win other games, he allowed the Hawkeyes to gain momentum early Friday in their first victory since March 14.
