The Terps earned their sixth straight win over the Dukes.
Through four innings, Maryland baseball and James Madison were in a pitcher’s duel. Starters Jake Yeager and Casey Smith were dealing, but neither team could get much of anything going on offense.
The Dukes retired 10 straight Terps batters through the first four innings. Simultaneously, Maryland didn’t allow a base runner for three consecutive innings. It was Yeager’s second start, and he pitched five innings, allowing just one run on a single hit.
This defensive showing helped Maryland rally in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to take the lead, which it maintained en route to an 8-4 victory — the Terps’ sixth straight win over James Madison — Tuesday in College Park.
Maryland matched its run total from Sunday in the first inning. Second baseman Brayden Martin led off with a single up the middle, followed by a double from third baseman Eddie Hacopian to put runners on second and third. Then, first baseman Hollis Porter drove in Martin with a sacrifice fly to put the first run on the board.
After a 1-2-3 inning, Yeager got into a second-inning jam, loading the bases with only one out. Command issues plagued Yeager, as he walked his third batter of the inning to score the tying run for the Dukes. But Maryland’s defense made up for it with a double play to escape the jam without further damage.
Then, Yeager found his groove. He retired 10 straight batters, pitching three consecutive 1-2-3 innings. However, James Madison’s pitching saw the same success. Smith and redshirt freshman reliever Holden McKinney combined to retire 10 straight Maryland batters, including six consecutive strikeouts.
“It’s a mentality thing,” Yeager said. “You got to go out there with confidence to know you’re better than the other guy.”
Elijah Lambros broke the cold spell in the fifth innung, doubling to left-center field. After two straight walks, Hacopian hit an RBI single to second base, beating out the throw to prevent an inning-ending double play.
Then, Alex Calarco took his turn at the plate. He cleared the bases with a double into the left-center field gap to put the Terps up 4-1.
Senior reliever Ryan Van Buren entered the game in the sixth inning coming off his best performance of the season Saturday. In that outing, he pitched four innings, only allowing just one run. He kept rolling Tuesday, pitching Maryland’s fourth straight 1-2-3 inning.
But James Madison finally fought out of its funk. It notched its second hit of the game, when pinch hitter Nic Poole homered just over the right-center field wall to cut the deficit to two runs.
The Dukes could not contain Calarco in the bottom half of the seventh inning, though. He slapped his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot to extend Maryland’s lead.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, all that’s been going on,” Calarco said. “I’m really grateful and honored to put on the Terp uniform.”
Graduate student Corey Dowdell pinch-hit in the eighth inning, singling to left field to score the Dukes’ third run. But Maryland quickly responded, as Hacopian’s double down the left-field line scored two insurance runs.
Andrew Johnson closed in the ninth inning, yet struggled to find the zone. He walked three batters to load the bases but escaped the jam, allowing only one run on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Jack Cannizzaro. He struck out the final batter, capturing Maryland’s seventh win of the season.
“He’s got to be a guy for us at the end,” head coach Matt Swope said about Johnson. “You’re not really panicking until the tying run gets on base. Until that point, it doesn’t matter.”
Three things to know
1. Calarco can’t be stopped. Calarco’s stellar season continued Tuesday, as he knocked in four RBIs to extend his season total to 29. He also has eight home runs, good for second-most in the country.
2. Yeager’s first win. Yeager was incredible in his second start. He allowed just one run and one hit, retiring the final 10 batters he faced.
3. Home, sweet home. Maryland earned its first home win of the season Tuesday. It has three more games at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium this weekend against UCLA.