Maryland baseball right-hander Ryan Selmer clenched his fist and walked toward the plate to celebrate with catcher Justin Morris. Towson left fielder A.J. Gallo had just hit a ground ball to second base with two outs in the ninth Wednesday night. But home plate umpire Harry Greer called catcher’s interference and Gallo moved to first base, representing the go-ahead run.
Selmer positioned the No. 23 Terps to secure the win again moments later, when designated hitter Bo Plage hit a ground ball in shortstop Kevin Smith’s direction. However, Smith and third baseman AJ Lee collided as they pursued the ball, and Smith was unable to make a play, as bases were loaded and the inning prolonged.
Tigers right fielder Colin Dyer struck out to end the game, which enabled Selmer to complete his celebration with Morris and the Terps infielders. In Maryland’s 6-5 win over Towson at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, though, little came easy for the Terps bullpen. That didn’t change as Selmer clinched his seventh save this season.
“You kind of check out when you think the game is over,” Selmer said of the catcher’s interference call. “But you check right back in, get on the mound and do what you were doing the whole time. For me, that was attacking with the fastball.”
As they entered the contest, coach John Szefc anticipated having to depend on several relievers. He named right-hander Ryan Hill, who has emerged as one of Maryland’s middle relievers and was the starter Tuesday. He hoped Hill would be able to replicate his success as a starter against William and Mary on April 19. Hill tossed three scoreless innings in the Terps’ 6-0 win.
Hill did so from the outset, allowing just one hit over two scoreless innings, and right-hander John Murphy followed that with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. But then, the Tigers rallied.
Towson first baseman Colin Gimblet’s fifth inning RBI single against right-hander Jamal Wade tied the game at one, and after first baseman Brandon Gum’s two-RBI double down the left field line gave Maryland a two-run advantage in the sixth, the Tigers scored three times against left-hander Tayler Stiles and right-hander Jared Price in the seventh.
Szefc told assistant coach Ryan Fecteau before the game that he wanted Stiles and right-hander Mike Rescigno — who hadn’t pitched since April 12 due to shoulder stiffness — to face the Tigers in preparation for Maryland’s series against Illinois this weekend. Stiles was the first to receive the opportunity and didn’t fare well, allowing two runs and three hits over 1.1 innings.
“Outings like this help guys on the weekend a lot,” Szefc said. “Fecteau did a good job of piecing this together with his guys. You’re trying to keep guys at a minimum so they’re ready for Friday, but [Towson] is trying to win too. You do whatever you can to get through it and not overuse anybody.”
Rescigno responded to the late-game situation by striking out the first two hitters he faced and retiring the side in the eighth. That kept the game tied, enabling Lee’s home run and designated hitter Will Watson’s RBI single to give Maryland the lead.
But Towson third baseman Richard Miller’s RBI double against Rescigno with one-out in the ninth positioned the Tigers to tie the game.
Maryland used seven pitchers for the first time this season on Wednesday, while Hill, Murphy and Selmer were the only three who didn’t allow a run. Still, a two-run eighth inning and Selmer’s ability to work around the late jam lifted Maryland to its 30th win.
“When [Rescigno] can come out of the ‘pen and really put us in a chance to win, it’s huge,” Lee said. “Then, he passes it on to someone like Selmer to shut the door. That’s big for us.”
