Matt Swope made it clear Maryland would throw the kitchen sink at Sunday’s doubleheader when it came to the pitching staff.
But as the Terps dug deeper into their bullpen, familiar issues that plagued them all season began to resurface.
What started with a dominant, run-rule win in game one — a performance that gave Maryland hope for its first series victory — ended with yet another deflating weekend loss.
The Terps walked a series-high 11 Ducks in the rubber match, allowing Oregon to score a series-best 13 runs. Maryland fell, 13-3, dropping its seventh series of the season and fifth in conference play.
“The theme for the season is just way too many freebies,” Swope said.
After Kyle McCoy and Cristofer Cespedes were the lone pitchers on Friday, Maryland entered the day with plenty of arms available. That flexibility only increased after it again needed just two pitchers in game one on Sunday. The Terps (14-21, 4-11 Big Ten) used eight pitchers in the series finale.
Sophomore Joey McMannis struck out two in two scoreless innings of his start of the rubber match, but was pulled after his second frame.
Freshman Jake Yeager couldn’t match his success in the third and exited after loading the bases with one out and surrendering a run.
Graduate student Devin Milberg allowed one more run in the third, credited to Yeager, and was credited for one more in the fourth after the Ducks loaded the in the second straight inning.
[Maryland baseball blows another series opener, loses to No. 15 Oregon 5-4]
Even with ongoing pitching struggles, Maryland was tied at three with Oregon heading into the fifth. But Andrew Koshy surrendered a pair of home runs in the inning, giving the Ducks a five- run cushion.
The second blast — a two-run shot by Jacob Walsh — came after a costly error by shortstop Chris Hacopian on a potential inning-ending play.
Maryland’s first four pitchers accounted for 10 of its 11 walks. McMannis and Milberg each walked three while Yeager and Koshy both walked a pair.
“If we can work ahead, and I know that sounds simple, but if we can stay off those freebies and make them earn it a little bit, then we’ll be fine,” Swope said.
It marked the 14th time this season the Terps issued more walks than their opponent — they’re just 2–12 in those games. Maryland is 11–5 when winning the walk battle, including Sunday’s first game.
Oregon had scored just seven runs combined in the first two games of the series before breaking out with the 13-run performance to secure the weekend victory.
Offense doesn’t carry into rubber match
The decision to start senior Andrew Johnson may have raised eyebrows at first. The left-hander hadn’t started a game since his sophomore year — an outing where he gave up five runs in one inning — and had been inconsistent out of the bullpen this season
[Maryland baseball notebook: Matt Swope’s mindset shift, pitchers working through struggles]
But on Sunday, he kept the Ducks within reach, giving Maryland’s offense a chance to take control with two runs over 3 ⅓ innings. Freshman Logan Hastings didn’t allow a run in the rest of the seven-inning contest.
“AJ’s just been competing,” Swope said. “It’s good to see Logan back in there. He’s been in all different types of situations.”
The pair’s performance would have perfectly executed Swope and pitching coach Jimmy Jackson’s strategy for the weekend if not for the performance on the mound later that afternoon.
The Terps backed the effort on the mound with a 12-run showing at the plate. While Maryland struggled situationally on Saturday and depended on solo home runs, the Terps needed no homers in the first game on Sunday.
Every batter reached base at least once, six recorded at least one RBI and the Terps outhit the Ducks by six. Maryland batted 9-17 with runners on, a drastic improvement from Saturday’s 1-13 showing.
Instead of carrying the performance into the rubber match, Oregon pitcher Jason Reitz stymied the Terps across his seven-inning start.
The junior struck out 11 while walking one, holding Maryland to three runs. The 6-foot-11 right-hander set his season-high with 97 pitches thrown.
The Terps didn’t score again after Walsh’s fifth-inning homer, slipping back to a .167 average with runners in the rubber match.“Overall, we just kind of ran out of steam,” Swope said. “If we can consistently put two and three and four games in in a row, we’ll be dangerous down the stretch.”
