Maryland baseball cruised to an 8-3 series-clinching victory over Penn State on Saturday night behind four runs in the seventh inning and a strong start from right-hander Brian Shaffer.
The match started about 30 minutes after the Terps fell, 2-0, to the Nittany Lions in the first game of the afternoon and the second game of the series. Maryland’s offense, though, wasted little time getting on the board in the nightcap.
Right fielder Madison Nickens, leading off the contest, singled and came around to score with two outs on left fielder Marty Costes’ infield hit. The Terps extended their lead in the second inning after catcher Nick Cieri singled and scored on third baseman Andrew Bechtold’s base knock.
The Terps added a pair of runs in the fourth with the help of a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt. The Terps defense had lapses, too. In the sixth inning, the Nittany Lions put two runners on the base after a throwing error from shortstop Kevin Smith.
One out later, Bechtold failed to secure a pop fly and allowed a Penn State run before throwing the second Nittany Lion out at the plate.
But Penn State couldn’t build on that momentum as the team committed another error on a sacrifice bunt attempt in the seventh. The Terps notched four runs in the inning, giving them an 8-1 lead and allowing Shaffer and the rest of the pitching staff to cruise through the game’s final three defensive frames.
Shaffer, who tallied seven strikeouts and limited Penn State to four hits, surrendered one run in the seventh on a pair of doubles, so rookie right-hander Hunter Parsons took over to toss a scoreless eighth.
Right-hander Mike Rescigno gave up a run while forcing a double play ball in the ninth inning, but Penn State never threatened for the lead.
