Maryland baseball has struggled to win when Kyle McCoy pitches — not because the ace has performed poorly, but largely due to a shaky bullpen. The Terps entered Friday’s game against Nebraska just 3-7 in McCoy’s starts.
And the series opener against the Cornhuskers wasn’t the ace’s best start. He allowed Nebraska to claim an early 3-0 lead, surrendered his second-most hits this season and recorded a season-low in strikeouts.
But for the first time in six weeks, the Terps won a game with McCoy on the mound. Maryland defeated Nebraska on Friday, 12-5, behind timely hitting and a much-needed performance from Logan Hastings out of the bullpen.
“Kyle wasn’t the sharpest, but he’s been carrying us all year, so I thought it was good that we finally had his back for once,” coach Matt Swope said.
The Terps’ 12 runs were their most scored against a Big Ten opponent in a game started by McCoy. Maryland hit four home runs, with a majority hit by non-power hitters.
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Senior Jacob Orr gave Maryland its first lead at 4-3 with a solo homer to left field, the second baseman’s sixth of the season.
Left fielder Liam Willson followed with his first long ball of the season the following frame. Designated hitter Hollis Porter and Aden Hill both added a homer in the seventh — part of a five-run frame that extended the Terps’ lead to six.
It was one of Maryland’s most complete offensive performances in Big Ten play, with all nine batters reaching base and all but one scoring a run.
“I feel like we’re nowhere near content,” Willson said. “We got a lot of work to do, and we’re shooting for the Big Ten Tournament”
McCoy’s outing started poorly after conceding a solo homer against the second batter. He allowed two more runs in the second inning, immediately putting Maryland in a three-run hole.
The lefty allowed only one more run in his next four innings however, limiting the Cornhuskers to just three total hits between the third and sixth innings.
“He still went six innings. You got to give him a lot of credit for grinding through that,” Swope said. “That’s what aces do.”
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The Terps turned to Hastings in relief — who tossed the final three frames and conceded just one run.
The right-hander threw three innings in his outing last Sunday against Indiana but gave up three runs late in the appearance. Swope took the blame for leaving Hastings in too long, with his pitch count climbing to 70. On Friday, the freshman needed just 45 pitches to get through three innings, holding Nebraska to two hits in his first save.
Hastings said he commanded his pitches better against the Cornhuskers than he did against the Hoosiers.
“[I was] able to stay on the corners, I was mixing well, pitch calling was great,” Hastings said. “I executed way better than I did against Indiana.”
Entering the weekend, Nebraska was one of three Big Ten teams tied for the final tournament spot in 12th place, with Maryland just two games back. The Terps will face all three teams over the final four weeks of the season.
By taking the first game of a pivotal series, Maryland moved a step closer to closing the gap — and making a final push for the postseason.
