GREENVILLE, N.C. — Maryland baseball pitching coach Corey Muscara heard it from the crowd and from home plate umpire Junior Creech following a particularly long mound visit in the sixth inning.
The extra time talking to right-hander Elliot Zoellner did no good. Zoellner hit designated hitter Bryant Packard on the next pitch to load the bases. The pitch after that hit shortstop Turner Brown and scored No. 18 East Carolina’s 12th run of the contest.
Muscara didn’t bother leaving the dugout in the next inning, even though right fielder Randy Bednar was struggling through his college pitching debut. Bednar’s presence on the mound showed how insurmountable the Pirates’ lead had become, and how thoroughly Maryland’s pitching staff had fallen apart.
The Terps’ erratic pitching coupled with a continued dearth of clutch hitting in a 18-4 drubbing, securing the Pirates a series victory. Maryland issued six run-scoring walks, hit by pitches or wild pitches while its offense went 2-for-23 with runners on base, bringing it to 5-for-52 in those scenarios during its three-game losing streak.
So, while the Terps managed just four runs on 11 hits, East Carolina had 18 runs and 16 hits, led by center fielder Brady Lloyd’s 5-for-5 performance with five runs scored.
Maryland (9-9) starter Tyler Blohm bounced a pitch nearly five feet short of the plate amidst an erratic second inning in which he walked two batters and uncorked a wild pitch. Still, with the bases loaded and one out, Blohm forced the double-play ball needed to keep the game scoreless.
Much like in Friday’s 4-0 loss, though, when shortstop AJ Lee’s error “opened the gates,” Rob Vaughn said, a miscue from a middle infielder gave the Pirates life Saturday. Second baseman Nick Dunn muffed the bouncer and had to settle for the out at first, allowing Lloyd to score.
With East Carolina (15-4) starter Chris Holba — who had allowed two runs in his 25 1/3 innings entering Saturday — on the mound, the Terps had little margin for error. While Maryland plated as many runs as Holba (5-0, 1.17 ERA) allowed all year, a shaky start from Blohm preceded right-hander Alec Tuohy’s unraveling during a six-run fifth inning.
Tuohy inherited two runners on and quickly plated one with a wild pitch. Following two singles and a walk, catcher Jake Washer hit a two-run double to break open the contest.
It didn’t get better from there, as Zoellner, Bednar and left-hander Billy Phillips allowed six hits and eight runs over the final three innings. All of Maryland’s relievers Saturday are in their first year with the team, as the Terps continue to try to create an effective pitching staff heavily reliant on a young bullpen.
Third baseman Taylor Wright commended Friday starter Taylor Bloom’s eight-inning complete game to avoid the use of Maryland’s bullpen, but Blohm walked five and surrendered six runs in his four innings, leading to a 13-walk game overall and exposing Maryland’s most significant weakness.
