Andrew Koshy scratched his head as he faced home plate and watched Western Carolina celebrate a walk-off home run. Koshy surrendered three earned runs in the rubber match against the Catamounts, failing to maintain a lead in the ninth and tenth innings when Maryland jumped ahead.
Sunday capped a disastrous weekend for Koshy – and the Terps’ pitching unit. Maryland’s bullpen recorded a 9.51 combined ERA in the series and surrendered two leads in the latter innings. The Terps fell to Western Carolina, 11-9, in 10 innings on Sunday.
The walk-off home run was a microcosm of the weekend for the Terps (3-3). Poorly timed pitching blunders, coupled with multiple defensive shortcomings, cost the Terps a chance at a series victory.
Maryland dropped to .500 through six games — despite playing four teams who finished with a sub-100 RPI in 2024.
“We just keep having this habit of beating ourselves,” coach Matt Swope said.
[Maryland baseball blows 4-run lead, loses to Western Carolina, 8-7]
Chris Hacopian’s grand-slam with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Terps a one-run lead. But Koshy hit a Catamount batter with the bases-loaded in the bottom of the frame to force the game into extra innings.
Maryland claimed another one-run lead in the tenth, only for Koshy to surrender the walk-off home run. Koshy conceded three total runs in ⅓ innings pitched on Friday for his Terps’ debut. His ERA sits at 19.64 after the Western Carolina series.
Omar Melendez tossed five innings in his first start of the season. Melendez started in place of sophomore Evan Smith, who is out with an upper body injury.
A Hacopian throwing error helped the Catamounts score two runs in the first inning. Defensive miscues continued in the second frame, as Melendez recorded a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt.
Hacopian, who shifted from third base to shortstop this season, registered four errors against the Catamounts. Eddie Hacopian, who moved from first base to third, had two defensive miscues in Friday’s 8-7 loss.
On Sunday, only three defensive Maryland starters played at the position they normally started in 2024. The Terps recorded nine total errors in their series against the Catamounts and had three errors in the rubber match.
“We just got to be better on the mound and we got to play better defense,” Swope said. “We’ll just continue to be positive and try to coach and be better.”
The defensive miscues carried into the fifth inning. Maryland right-hand pitcher Logan Hastings had a seemingly routine toss to home after a bunt, but an errant throw gave Western Carolina a 4-3 lead.
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Hastings was pulled after conceding three total runs. The Catamounts scored once again in the seventh inning off freshman reliever Ryan Bailey, who made his first appearance as a Terp.
Maryland’s offense, which scored a program-record 35 runs on Saturday, managed only eight hits in the series finale and were hitless in four frames.
Chris Hacopian hit a two-run homer in the third, his first of two on Sunday. The sophomore shortstop has a .636 batting average, a 2.159 OPS and 23 RBIs this season.
The Terps offense scored 51 runs against Western Carolina. But Maryland still exited the weekend with a disheartening series loss.
The last time Maryland started .500 or worse through two weekend series was in 2023. But the 2023 iteration of the Terps lost two games to then-No. 4 Ole Miss in the second weekend. This season, Maryland lost to a Catamounts team that entered the series 1-3.
“In baseball, you’re not going to win every game. But if you play clean and you lose, you can kind of live with that as a coach,” Swope said. “But we’re just not doing that.”
