Eddie Hacopian acknowledged on Wednesday the urgency Maryland baseball needed to play with against Rutgers — with the Terps’ season on the line. A split between the first two games of the weekend series further emphasized the message.
“We’re gonna go out there and give them hell, try our best and play with our hair on fire,” Hacopian said. “There’s absolutely a level of desperation.”
Following a loss in game one of a Saturday doubleheader, Maryland faced a rubber match in its second contest of the day. A three-run sixth inning guided the Terps to a 6-4 victory over the Scarlet Knights, clinching a series victory — Maryland’s third in Big Ten play.
“They came out and battled,” coach Matt Swope said. “It’s just great to leave here with the series win.”
A loss to Rutgers (26-21, 4-14 Big Ten) would’ve limited the Terps to a .500 record in the Big Ten at best with only three conference matchups left in the schedule — a three-game series against Penn State. The win kept the possibility of a winning Big Ten record for Maryland (31-18, 10-11 Big Ten).
[Maryland baseball beats Rutgers in series opener, 4-3]
Tied at three entering the sixth inning, three of the Terps’ first four batters reached base in the top of the frame — creating a bases loaded opportunity for Devin Russell. Russell was hit on the fifth pitch of his at-bat, bringing a run home to claim a Maryland lead.
Elijah Lambros then dropped a deep double into left field to score two more runs. It was Lambros’ third RBI of the day after recording one in the earlier game of the doubleheader.
The Terps were 0-7 with runners in scoring position in game one, but Lambros’ sixth inning swing provided the winning runs with the bases loaded. Maryland’s first hit with a Terp in scoring position in game two — a Brayden Martin RBI single in the fourth frame — capped a three-run inning that started the offense’s production.
“We’ve talked to the guys about just playing free and letting it hang,” Swope said. “They’ve done that over the past couple of weeks. And the play has been a little bit more consistent.”
Logan Koester matched the six-run effort from the offense and surrendered just three runs in six innings. It was the right-hander’s first time tossing six innings in over a month — his longest start since March 30 was 4 ⅓ innings.
“[I] trust my defense,” Koester said. “I know what these guys expected from me, just putting the ball in play, getting a lot of first pitch outs, which was super convenient and worked well for me.”
Koester served as the Friday night starter for the past two weeks, previously pitching on Saturday in the prior nine weeks, but Swope rearranged his rotation against Rutgers.
[Kenny Lippman has found success in his move to Maryland baseball’s bullpen]
Omar Melendez pitched on Friday night after serving as the Saturday night man. Joey McMannis started in game one of the doubleheader Saturday, his first time pitching in the second game of the weekend. Koester would have tossed on Sunday if not for the doubleheader due to weather — McMannis’ old post.
Koester’s three earned runs were the most among the trio, as the three all had successful starts in Piscataway. Both Melendez and Koester earned the win in their outings. Logan Berrier earned his fifth save of the season, allowing just one run over the final three innings.
The Terps still have four resume boosting games left on their slate as the regular season nears its end, all coming in the upcoming week. South Carolina Upstate, the Terps’ midweek opponent, and Boston College, the weekend opposition, both stand in the top 100 of RPI.
Maryland holds the second-best RPI ranking in the Big Ten despite its losing conference record.
“The guys know what’s at stake,” Swope said.
