Maryland baseball third baseman AJ Lee popped a bunt into the air with two outs in the bottom of the second inning during the Terps’ 6-2 win over Princeton on Saturday afternoon. It seemed Tigers right-hander James Proctor would be able to field the ball, but instead it fell to prolong the inning.
Lee’s infield single plated first baseman Brandon Gum to tie the game at one, his first of three RBIs on the afternoon. That production, which has continued in increased playing time, led Maryland to a series win over the Tigers and helped the Terps lineup rally against Proctor, a freshman who entered the contest with a 3.75 ERA.
After the Tigers took a lead against Maryland right-hander Taylor Bloom in the third inning, Lee again knotted the game again. His sacrifice fly with one out tied the contest at two after designated hitter Will Watson and left fielder Madison Nickens got into scoring position.
And Lee’s final RBI of the afternoon — a sacrifice fly with runners on second and third and one out in the seventh — capped a three-run frame that seemingly put the game out of reach for the Tigers.
Maryland’s lineup was able to support Bloom, who followed right-hander Brian Shaffer’s eight-inning outing Friday with a 6.2 inning performance against the Tigers. Despite facing the minimum number of batters three times, which elevated his pitch count early, Bloom allowed two runs and six hits while walking one and striking out four.
Watson and Nickens preceded Lee’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly with RBI hits to push Maryland’s lead to three, and from there, the Terps bullpen was able to secure the win.
Left-hander Andrew Miller recorded the final out in the seventh, and right-handers Ryan Hill and Ryan Selmer kept the Tigers off the board in the final two innings.
Lee’s offensive success kept the game close early on, and the Terps were able to rally late against the Princeton bullpen in their 11th win of the season and their ninth over their past 10 games.
