With runners on first and second and no outs in the fifth, Maryland baseball second baseman Nick Dunn squared to bunt on the first two pitches he saw. He pulled back both times and was ahead in the count 2-0 against Northwestern left-hander Richard Fordon.
Dunn made contact with the next pitch, hitting into a double play. Soon after, shortstop Kevin Smith struck out to end the threat and limit the Terps to two fifth-inning runs.
In the No. 4-seed Terps’ 9-5 Big Ten Tournament semifinals win against Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, though, Dunn didn’t make the same mistake twice.
The second baseman faced a similar situation in the seventh, when first baseman Brandon Gum and right fielder Marty Costes both reached base to open the frame with the game tied at five. He sent a bunt down the third-base line, just past the mound but close enough that third baseman Connor Lind couldn’t make a play.
Third baseman AJ Lee was hit with the bases loaded to give the Terps an advantage for the first time since they led 3-0 in the second. Coach John Szefc’s squad rallied for three more runs, taking a four-run lead it didn’t relinquish.
Right-hander John Murphy shut out the Wildcats over the final three innings to secure the win for Maryland.
After winning its third straight conference tournament game, Maryland is scheduled to face Northwestern again Saturday night, with the winner advancing to Sunday afternoon’s championship.
Maryland had Wildcats right-hander Josh Davis, who pitched against the Terps in College Park on May 14, figured out from the outset. Costes gave Maryland a 1-0 edge with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first. Then, designated hitter Will Watson and Smith clubbed back-to-back homers in the second to give left-hander Tayler Stiles a lead.
Lacking a consistent fourth starter, the Terps turned to Stiles, who pitched five scoreless frames against UMBC in his last regular-season start. He kept the first few Wildcats he faced off-balance, but designated hitter Leo Kaplan’s two-RBI single tied the game at three in the fourth.
Stiles allowed five hits and three runs with one walk and three strikeouts over 3.2 innings.
After producing for the Wildcats in their regular-season series win against the Terps at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, left fielder Joe Hoscheit gave No. 7-seed Northwestern a lead with a two-run home run against right-hander Ryan Hill in the fifth.
But in the rematch, the Terps offense didn’t stall. A wild pitch and first baseman Brandon Gum’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth tied the game again at five. Then Maryland, led by Dunn’s ability to execute a bunt attempt, rallied late to take control of the game.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of the headline on this story incorrectly stated Maryland faced Indiana. This story has been updated.
