The Terps need just one weekend victory to secure their first three-game series win of the season.
A back-and-forth battle quickly turned Maryland’s way on Friday night, as the Terps exploded for five runs in the seventh inning to pull away from Nebraska.
Thanks to solid bats — including four home runs and 13 total hits — the Terps secured a 12-5 win at home. They now need just one win over the weekend to capture their first three-game series win of the season.
The Cornhuskers struck first on the evening. Cayden Brumbaugh launched a solo home run to left field off Maryland starter Kyle McCoy, giving the Cornhuskers an early 1-0 lead. Despite that spark, McCoy quickly settled in, retiring the next two batters to limit the damage.
Maryland remained quiet at the bottom of the inning, as Nebraska starter Will Wash retired all batters in order.
The visiting Cornhuskers stayed hot in the second inning. A ground-rule double from Dylan Carey sparked the offense, followed by an RBI single up the middle from Will Jesske. Jesske later came around to score on Joshua Overbeek’s single — a passed ball and groundout moved him to third. That pushed Nebraska’s lead to 3-0.
The Terps answered in the bottom half. After a walk and a single put runners on first and second base, Elijah Lambros ripped a double to left-center field to score Alex Calarco. Then, a sacrifice fly from Aiden Hill brought home Hollis Porter. Liam Willson’s RBI single tied the game at 3-3, scoring Lambros and increasing the game’s momentum.
In the third inning, Maryland took its first lead of the night when Jacob Orr launched a solo home run to left field, after the bases had been loaded with a walk and a single. The Terps added another run from a Porter single, and Maryland extended its lead to 5-3.
Nebraska tried to claw back in the top of the fourth inning. Carey led off with a single, and after a walk and a lineout, Robby Bolin knocked in a run with a single to left field. Brumbaugh then reached on a fielder’s choice, ending the inning, but cutting the Terps’ lead to 5-4.
The close score didn’t last long. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Wilson crushed his second home run as a Terp with a solo homer to left-center field, increasing their lead to 6-4.
“Feels like a long time coming,” Wilson said. “So it feels good. It was all happening so fast. But I’m always confident, for the most part.”
McCoy continued to battle through five innings, working around a hit-by pitch in the fifth inning and stranding a runner in scoring position in the sixth inning after Overbeek’s double to left field.
Nebraska inched closer in the seventh inning, scoring on a RBI single from Tyler Stone, cutting the deficit to 6-5. But Maryland responded quickly.
The Terps set the game off in the seventh inning. After a walk and a single loaded the bases, Maryland exploded for five runs, highlighted by hits from Porter, Hill and Brayden Martin. They followed it up with an insurance run in the eighth inning, making their lead 12-5.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Wilson added. “But it was good to get a lot of runs on the board with Kyle. But we are nowhere near content.”
Logan Hastings took over the mound for Maryland and was dominant, earning his first save of the season with two shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and had three strikeouts in three innings.
“It was good. I liked being able to come in and give us that chance to win,” Hastings said. “Especially with McCoy and the start he had, it kind of put us in a good position. So it was just my job to go out there and do what I do.”
With the win, McCoy improved to 4-2 on the year, while Nebraska’s Walsh dropped to 4-6. Nebraska managed only nine hits, and the Terps remained flawless defensively with no errors.
“Happy for the guys,” Maryland head coach Matt Swope said. “It’s nice to get a breather. A lot of games could’ve gone out ways on Fridays, so it’s good to see these guys get a win.”
Swope praised the performances of both Porter and Hastings, calling Friday “a great day by Hollis, bouncing back from Tuesday,” and said Hastings has been one of Maryland’s more important bullpen arms.
“I think [Hastings has] been one of our better arms,” Swope said. “He started off really hot in the season. He did great last week in Indiana. I took a little responsibility for leaving him on one inning too long, but he was really good for the most part. We’re going to need him, he’s going to be one of those guys that can throw four pitches.”
Three things to know
1. Liam Willson’s breakout. Willson crushed his first two home runs as a Terp in the fourth and sixth innings. His performance boosted Maryland’s offense and topped off a long-anticipated moment.
2. Friday finally falls Maryland’s way. Before this win, the Terps hadn’t won a Friday game in six weeks — this oftentimes put them behind in weekend series from the start. Breaking that streak could be a key momentum shift in their weekend series.
3. Nebraska’s bullpen struggles. Reliever Tucker Timmerman couldn’t stop Maryland’s momentum in the seventh inning, allowing the Terps to blow the game open.