With two outs and no runners on in the fourth inning of the Terrapins baseball team’s game against VCU last night, the Terps seemed poised to carry their one-run deficit entering the bottom half of the inning.
But after shortstop Patrick Hisle committed an error, right-hander Taylor Bloom issued a walk and the Terps allowed the next batter to reach on an infield single after Bloom was late covering first base, the bases were loaded.
Moments later, Bloom threw a wild pitch, and the Rams scored their second run in what could have been a 1-2-3 inning. Blunders like those in the fourth inning cost the No. 21 Terps in a 3-1 loss to VCU at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.
“When you’re playing so poorly offensively, every miscue you make is magnified,” coach John Szefc said. “A one-run inning seems like a three-run inning.”
Although the Terps entered the game leading the Big Ten with 258 runs scored, they plated one run or fewer for the third straight contest. Second baseman Brandon Lowe was the lone bright spot in the lineup yesterday as he went 3-for-4 and drove in the team’s only run.
“Offensively, we just got to continue to run off our approach like we were in the beginning of the year,” said center fielder LaMonte Wade, who went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season. “We just got to get that fight back in us.”
After a 2-1 loss to the Rams (24-16) on Tuesday, the Terps (27-13) had an opportunity to take an early lead last night. Wade led off the game with a walk and then stole second. Lowe recorded a one-out single to put runners at the corners.
Neither Wade nor Lowe came around to score, however, as first baseman Kevin Martir and third baseman Jose Cuas struck out swinging to end the scoring threat.
Martir said the team lacked intensity at the plate in its third straight defeat. Rams starter Ben Stine, who entered the game with a 4.91 ERA, held the Terps scoreless on three hits in five innings of work. The Terps left eight runners on base in the game.
Trailing 3-0 in the eighth inning, Lowe drove in the team’s first run with an RBI single. The Terps couldn’t draw any closer with two men on, however, as Cuas grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the frame.
“Guys didn’t play hard,” Martir said. “Guys were just going as the innings went on.”
While the offense searched for production, the pitching staff kept the Terps within striking distance.
Right-hander Taylor Bloom — making his first start of the season and his first appearance since pitching two relief innings against West Virginia on April 7 — limited the Rams to two runs (one earned) in four innings in his first loss of the year. In total, six pitchers combined to hold the Rams to three runs.
“What you’re looking for as a staff is efficient pitching and efficient defense, and three runs over nine innings at home should certainly be good enough to win any baseball game,” Szefc said. “As far as what we’re doing on the other side of the ball, I really couldn’t tell you. It’s pretty sad to watch right now.”
With the mistakes on the mound and in the field, the Terps’ slumping offense couldn’t pull them out of their skid.
“As we move on and on and [get] closer to the postseason, every little thing matters,” Wade said. “We just got to make sure we do the little things right because those things can cost [us] ball games.