Maryland baseball coach John Szefc said right-hander Mike Shawaryn needed to step up down the stretch for the Terps to make a postseason run.
Shawaryn, the Terps’ ace the past three seasons, has struggled at times this season. He entered the Terps’ contest at Michigan State on Thursday with the worst ERA (3.33) of Maryland’s weekend rotation.
But in a game that had crucial implications toward Maryland qualifying for the Big Ten tournament, Shawaryn stepped up. The junior threw his second complete game of the season and led the Terps to a 6-3 win over the Spartans to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Michigan State (33-17, 12-10) and Maryland (27-24, 12-10) entered Thursday ranked sixth and seventh in the Big Ten, respectively. The top eight conference schools qualify for the Big Ten tournament.
The Terps offense, which has struggled recently, recorded just one hit through the first four innings. Still, Shawaryn kept his team in the game, and the offense combined to string together six runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Michigan State took the lead in the first inning when second baseman Dan Durkin flew out to score center fielder Brandon Hughes.
The Terps didn’t put their first runner in scoring position until the fifth frame, but they took advantage when they got the opportunity.
First, catcher Nick Cieri singled in designated hitter Madison Nickens to tie the contest. The next batter, third baseman Andrew Bechtold, doubled to drive home Cieri and then advanced home on a wild pitch.
In the sixth, first baseman Kevin Biondic flew out to score second baseman Nick Dunn. Right-hander Walter Borkovich then overthrew first baseman Jordan Zimmerman on a pick-off attempt as shortstop Kevin Smith, who went 3-for-5 from the plate Thursday, advanced home. To cap off the scoring, Nickens scored on Cieri’s RBI double.
Between the fourth and eighth innings, Shawaryn retired 13 consecutive batters. Though he allowed two scores in the ninth, the Carneys Point, New Jersey, native finished the job to seal Maryland’s victory and put the Terps in a better position to make the conference tourney.
