Maryland baseball defeats Indiana, 9-2, behind three home runs

In the fifth inning of the Maryland baseball team’s 9-2 win over Indiana on Saturday night, every player on the Terps sideline sprinted into the dugout restroom. The Terps often tease third baseman AJ Lee when he displays his power, suggesting he lacks “juice” and should exclusively attempt to get on base from the nine spot in the order.

That treatment didn’t change in Bloomington, Indiana, when Lee’s fifth home run this season pushed Maryland’s lead to two. Lee’s homer fueled a two-run fifth inning when it appeared left-hander Tyler Blohm might not pitch beyond the fifth, pushing Maryland to victory.

The Terps built an early advantage with the help of right fielder Marty Costes’ two-run home run in the third against right-hander Brian Hobbie. There wasn’t a significant reaction in the dugout, though. The same remained true when center fielder Zach Jancarski’s solo home run increased Maryland’s lead to 6-2 in the seventh. Maryland’s dugout kept those celebrations brief.

The small offensive burst enabled coach John Szefc to leave Blohm in the game as he worked around Indiana’s offensive rallies in the third and fourth. He pitched to a combined 13 batters during those two frames.

But because the Terps added to their lead, Blohm remained in the game, relieving a bullpen that was taxed in the continuation of Friday’s game, which was delayed until earlier Saturday afternoon.

In the first game, right-hander Ryan Hill lasted just one inning. With right-hander Brian Shaffer out of the picture after briefly tossing Friday, and left-hander Andrew Miller sidelined because of a minor injury, Szefc turned to his bullpen in the Terps’ 9-2 loss. However, that wouldn’t be necessary in the second matchup.

Though Blohm lost control of the strike zone for a stint in third, when first baseman Matt Gorski homered and designated hitter Matt Lloyd added an RBI single that made it a one-run contest, he pitched into the seventh, maintaining Maryland’s lead and preserving the Terps’ other relievers for the series-finale Sunday.

Over 6.1 innings, Blohm allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Right-hander Ryan Selmer made quick work of the Hoosiers in the final 2.2 frames.

Catcher Dan Maynard’s two-RBI single extended Maryland’s lead in the eighth, but it was Lee’s home run that sparked the offense.