Although Maryland baseball right fielder Randy Bednar flied out to strand three runners in the first inning against Elon on Wednesday, the Terps’ start to game two of the midweek series was anything but disappointing.
It was the second time Bednar had made the trip from the dugout to the batter’s box in the top half of the first, as seven Maryland hitters reached base in the opening frame en route to a lopsided 5-0 start.
The Terps added a run in the second inning and three in the third to further establish the edge and put Elon away for good. And behind a balanced offensive onslaught where seven different batters drove in a run and a solid outing by left-hander Tuck Tucker in his first career start, Maryland easily topped Elon, 12-4, to cap a two-game sweep in North Carolina.
[Read more: Maryland baseball’s offense rebounds in 11-4 midweek rout of Elon]
One day after racing to a 3-0 lead during their 11-4 victory over the Phoenix (11-10), the Terps’ (12-8) offense was even more potent out of the gate.
A leadoff single up the middle by center fielder Chris Alleyne combined with back-to-back walks loaded the bases with two outs for shortstop AJ Lee, who has struggled at the plate so far in an injury-plagued senior campaign, hitting .195 entering Wednesday.
Lee nearly came up empty again by looping a bunt into foul territory on a 1-1 count, but the miscue dove harmlessly to the turf, as he later grinded the count deep to earn a walk and bring in Maryland’s first run.
Designated hitter Sebastian Holte-Mancera then singled up the middle to drive in two more.
[Read more: No. 17 East Carolina throws perfect game to cap sweep of Maryland baseball]
After another walk loaded the bases, left fielder Caleb Walls, a day removed from launching two homers and driving in four runs in a 4-for-4 effort, brought in two runs on a single to right-center field to punctuate the opening frame.
In his first start of the season, right-hander Daniel Albrittain was pulled after just ⅔ of an inning. He gave up five runs on three hits and four free passes, as the Maryland lineup batted around before left-hander Kellan Elsbury finally ended the top half of the inning on Bednar’s fly out.
Meanwhile, Tucker kept the Phoenix hitless through four innings, and sans a fifth-inning home run by first baseman Joe Satterfield, the junior was untouchable for much of the afternoon.
He gave up one run on a hit in five innings of work, and the Terps tacked on four runs over the second and third innings to further stretch their advantage.
Maryland put up a three spot in the sixth after a two-RBI single to the right side by second baseman Tommy Gardiner and a wild pitch that plated another. Elon pitchers surrendered four walks in the inning, emblematic of the sloppy pitching they displayed with 22 walks allowed over two days.
Elon mustered a run in the bottom half of the sixth as well as two in the seventh inning to make it 12-4, but the deficit proved to be insurmountable as the Terps raced to a lopsided win over the Phoenix for the second-straight day.
