When Maryland baseball coach Rob Vaughn walked to the mound in the ninth inning with Bryant’s go-ahead run at the plate, he asked starter Hunter Parsons if he wanted to finish the game or call for closer John Murphy. After Parsons chose to remain in the game, Vaughn asked Parsons his plan to get out of the latest threat.
The junior right-hander elected to throw a fastball under shortstop Sam Owens’ hands, and the Bryant freshman could only manage weak contact to third base, securing Maryland’s 5-3 win and concluding Parsons’ first career complete game.
“The way you respond to adversity is all that matters,” Vaughn said. “His first outing down at Tennessee he didn’t do a great job of that. Since then, he’s been very, very good. He’s making pitches.”
On offense, left fielder Marty Costes led the Terps with two RBIs while second baseman Nick Dunn and center fielder Zach Jancarski each notched three hits. Maryland stranded 12 runners but managed four runs total in the seventh and eighth to win the series.
After Parsons’ throwing error in the sixth gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead, assistant coach Corey Muscara yelled to the Fruitland native from the dugout to believe in himself and envision the desired result.
Last month, after facing problems in his season debut against Tennessee, he imploded, allowing eight runs in one inning. But after steadying in his last three appearances, the junior seemed to recapture the promise he displayed in his freshman season.
Parsons’ confidence from facing similar situations and Muscara’s advice helped him strand two runners on base with a shallow fly out and a double play. Parsons leapt and pumped his fist as he left the mound.
“[Muscara’s] always telling us, ‘Seeing and believing it,’ but the thing is, he believes in us more than anyone else,” Parsons said. “I’ve never met a more passionate coach that just loves to be around the game and loves to see his guys doing well.”
Parsons (2-1, 5.09 ERA) didn’t match last week’s strikeout numbers but worked efficiently through the middle innings. He retired nine straight between the third inning and fifth after allowing a run to cross in the second. Parsons surrendered 10 hits, while striking out four.
Vaughn figured after the Terps broke out for a season-high 16 hits in Saturday’s win that he shouldn’t mess with his lineup. Maryland (9-6) reached double-digit hit totals for the second consecutive game, but the Terps didn’t maximize their opportunities. Following Jancarski’s infield single and Dunn’s double in the seventh inning, Costes plated Jancarski via an error at shortstop to tie the game.
The Terps took the lead later in the inning before Bryant tied the game in the top half of the eighth. With Jancarski and Dunn on base in the eighth after consecutive singles, Costes stepped into the box with a .077 average with runners in scoring position. The junior squeaked an RBI single through the right side and first baseman Kevin Biondic’s sacrifice fly gave Maryland a 5-3 lead.
The advantage allowed Parsons back on the mound for the ninth, yet he allowed two singles to place runners on the corners with two outs. Parsons repaid Vaughn’s confidence in him with a groundout.
“To see him go the full distance like that and help us get a series win here on Sunday, that’s awesome,” Jancarski said. “We need him to be that guy for us if we’re going to be good. He sure showed us what he’s capable of today.”
