TOWSON, Md. – Historically, the Terrapins baseball team has struggled in games at in-state rival Towson.

But never like this.

The Terps didn’t get a hit or a man on base until the top of the sixth inning in yesterday’s game, when junior right fielder Dan Benick belted a solo home run. By the time Benick homered, the Terps were already down 12. The game finally ended with the Tigers boasting an impressive 12-3 win, putting an end to the Terps’ 14-game nonconference winning streak.

The loss gave the Terps (25-19, 7-14 ACC) their third loss in three seasons at Towson and their second loss to the Tigers this season.

“When you give up eight runs in the first two innings, you’re really working behind the eight ball,” coach Terry Rupp said. “It’s tough to come back from that.”

Whether it was due to a lack of focus, fatigue from a 10-inning game the night before or that the Terps were simply due to lose a nonconference game, things looked bad from the start.

Freshman pitcher Brett Harman gave up four runs in the first inning, including a two-run home run to junior catcher Jason Stifler. Things didn’t get better in the second, when sophomore Tim Kearney came on in relief.

Kearney gave up four more runs, including another homer to Stifler, this time a three-run shot.

The Tigers added two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, making the score 12-0 after five innings.

Rupp rested regular senior starters Chad Durakis and Nick Jowers in preparation for the team’s critical ACC series at Duke this weekend, and after the game there was a sense that this weekend’s games were much more important than the 12-3 loss.

Nevertheless, the Terps could not figure out how to win at Towson (22-19, 8-10 CAA), and upperclassmen Steve Braun and Will Greenberg couldn’t explain the struggles.

“I’m not really sure. Obviously they jumped on us early and it’s just tough to come back,” Braun said. “I think as an offense we put too much pressure on ourselves and tried to get them all back at once instead of one at a time.”

“I don’t know, they’re our in-state rivals and they’re a good team,” Greenberg said as to why the Terps might struggle against Towson. “We’ve been getting behind a lot lately and it’s hard to come back every time. I think the team got a little tired.”

The Terps will have a chance for revenge when the two squads will play again May 7 in College Park.

As for yesterday, the Terps once again could not tame the Tigers.

akrautdbk@gmail.com