Maryland baseball right-hander Ryan Hill stood on the mound in the fourth inning Tuesday and watched North Carolina designated hitter Ashton McGee’s home run sail over the right field wall. It was the second Tar Heels long ball of the game, and Hill pitched to only two more hitters after allowing it.
It came after the Terps failed to execute an inning-ending double play, quickly putting themselves in a hole.
The No. 13 Tar Heels had success early against starting right-hander Hunter Parsons, so the Terps looked to Hill to limit the damage. But even as one of Maryland’s most consistent pitchers — Hill entered Tuesday with a 3.38 ERA over eight innings in relief — the junior couldn’t find a rhythm in the Terps’ 9-2 loss, ending an eight-game winning streak.
“We didn’t have a good start,” coach John Szefc said. “Not a good place to be, especially on the road against a team of their caliber … These guys are very good. You have to elevate your game in every respect to beat them, and that’s what we didn’t do.”
North Carolina scored a pair of runs in each of the first two innings, and Parsons didn’t finish the latter frame. For the second straight outing, the Fruitland, Maryland, native lasted 1.2 innings. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he allowed four runs, only two of which were earned as a result of third baseman AJ Lee’s miscue while fielding a ground ball in the second. Parsons walked one and struck out a pair.
Unlike in Parsons’ last start against William & Mary, when the Terps came from behind to earn a 9-8 win in College Park on March 7, the offense was stagnant. Second baseman Nick Dunn’s third-inning single to right field made it a two-run contest, but the Terps never pulled closer.
Dunn’s single was Maryland’s lone hit of the afternoon, as North Carolina right-hander Tyler Baum kept the Terps off balance through five innings despite walking four.
“They just did a good job making effective pitches,” said outfielder Marty Costes, who went 0-for-3 with a walk. “We hit some balls hard. Speaking from what I’m seeing, it’s just the unlucky part about baseball. We had some times where things fall into our favor and the opposite can happen.”
Hill departed after allowing four runs, one more than Maryland’s bullpen allowed in more than 30 innings during the team’s winning streak. Right-hander Mike Rescigno struck out two over two innings of scoreless relief and right-hander Jared Price pitched a scoreless eighth, after right-hander Jamal Wade allowed a run in the seventh.
After Maryland starters tossed at least six innings in three contests against Bryant last weekend, Parsons had difficulty throwing strikes, and the offense didn’t rally. The Terps have dropped four of their five road contests against ranked opponents this season.
“Every loss is tough,” Rescigno said. “We’ll bounce back. I’m not too worried about it. Nothing really clicked for us that well. I would just chalk it up to that.”
