The Terrapins baseball team seemed to have fixed its midweek pitching issues.
After allowing an average of 12.5 runs per game over their first four midweek games, the Terps allowed a combined two runs in as many games against VCU last week.
But in the Terps’ contest at Liberty on Tuesday, the bullpen faltered.
With the game knotted at four in the ninth inning, right-hander Mike Rescigno allowed the game-winning double to first baseman Andrew Yacyk, as the Terps fell, 5-4, for their second straight loss.
The game was “pretty lackluster,” coach John Szefc said. “The biggest problem we had was after we made errors, we couldn’t minimize the damage.”
The Terps (14-15) trailed 4-1 entering the eighth inning, but behind two walks, a wild pitch and a double from shortstop Kevin Smith, Szefc’s squad compiled three runs in the frame to tie the contest. It wasn’t enough though.
After struggling in his first two starts, left-hander Tayler Stiles threw seven scoreless innings last week against VCU. The sophomore allowed four runs, all of which came with two outs, in six frames Tuesday.
The Terps’ offense didn’t offer much help, recording four hits. The Terps walked seven times, though, and while Szefc said that number is reassuring, he added that they should have won the game off those freebies.
“If you walk seven times, you should probably score more than four runs,” Szefc said. “You should lose when you walk seven guys. And they won.”
The Terps began the contest with two walks and scored when left fielder Marty Costes grounded out to shortstop Dalton Britt.
While the defense appeared to turn a corner recently, committing an error in just one of its past four games, a mistake allowed Liberty (17-14) to retaliate in the third.
With one out, right fielder Madison Nickens dropped catcher Payton Scarbrough’s hit, allowing him to reach second base. Liberty followed with three straight singles to score two runs.
Szefc said that gave the Flames momentum the rest of the match. The fourth-year coach, who has preached preciseness on defense, said the defense didn’t give Stiles the support he needed.
The Terps were close to escaping the fifth frame, too. With two outs, though, Stiles hit a batter with a pitch and walked another. Yacyk then hit an RBI double to extend his team’s lead to 3-1.
It was the same case the following inning. With two outs, Britt tripled and Scarbrough singled to drive him in.
After the Terps rallied in the eighth, left-hander Robert Galligan issued a walk to begin the bottom of the ninth on what Szefc called “four uncompetitive pitches.” So the Terps turned to Rescigno, who had surrendered four runs in the ninth inning when Szefc’s squad played Liberty two weeks ago.
He continued to struggle against the Flames, as he gave up two hits in the Terps’ second walk-off defeat of the year.
More than six weeks into their season, the Terps have yet to find a consistent closer.
“Their pitching was really good,” Szefc said. “It was a lot better than we were today.”
CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this story and its headline incorrectly stated it was the Terps’ first walk-off loss of the season. It is the Terps’ second. The story and headline have been updated.
