Starting pitchers have often put Maryland baseball in a hole this season, and the bats are no strangers to fueling a comeback.

Maryland starter Nic Morlang struggled in his two innings of work, allowing six total runs, five earned, as Towson took an early 6-1 lead.

But Maryland’s offense kept them in it. The Terps used an eight-run eighth-inning explosion that proved to be too much to handle for the Tigers, beating Towson 15-7 at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium on Tuesday. 

“Some days, one guy picks another up,” head coach Matt Swope said. “I felt the offense picked up Morlang after not his best start and we just leaned on them.”

A huge crowd was out for $2 hot dog night, including a majority of Maryland’s football team, which definitely brought a jolt to the Terps’ bats. 

David Mendez loved the crowd, saying the bats “really were riding on that emotional handle.”

Morlang struggled to begin his start. Keldrin Rodriguez lined a double down the right field line for Towson to give it an early lead. 

Morlang settled down in the second before another rocky inning in the third, where he gave up three runs on three straight doubles. That slew of extra-base hits ended his day. 

Andrew Koshy followed Morlang, and immediately another run came into score on an error by David Mendez. 

Maryland’s offense started clicking in the third inning. David Mendez launched a three-run homer over the left field wall to trim the deficit to two, marking the second straight game he’s gone yard. 

This ended Towson starter Jake Michel’s day. He went three innings and allowed four runs. He came into the day with a 20.25 ERA, so his outing today was one of the better ones of his season. 

The Terps tied the game just an inning later on a solo home run by freshman Ty Kaunas. 

Paul Jones II put the Terps ahead for the first time Tuesday night with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. The run was scored by Brayden Martin, whose impressive baserunning, getting to third on a bunt and an errant throw, was key in the Terps taking the lead.

The Terps bullpen came in and cruised. Koshy threw three scoreless innings, amounting three strikeouts. 

Then came Jake Yeager. He threw two scoreless innings to start his afternoon, which was a good sign. The sophomore has turned his season around after a string of very shaky starts that led to his removal from the weekend rotation. In his last three appearances, Yeager has allowed one earned run over nine innings pitched. 

But in the eighth inning, Yeager’s early-season struggles returned. He walked and hit a batter before committing an error, allowing Towson to score a run and tie the game

Ryan Bailey relieved Yeager and worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam, keeping the game tied. 

In the eighth, Maryland took their first multi-run lead. Brayden Martin lined an RBI single, and Paul Jones immediately followed with an RBI double. The Terps then drew six RBI walks in a row, helping balloon their lead to eight runs. 

Bailey closed out Maryland’s third straight victory with a clean inning. Nate Hawton-Henley flashed the leather on the final out, making a leaping grab at the wall.  

This is now the Terps’ second win streak this season of three games or more.