Maryland baseball won both games of Sunday’s doubleheader, winning the weekend series two games to one against the Charlotte 49ers. 

Maryland’s offense started the first game of the double header with a four-run second inning. The inning started with freshman Chris Hacopian at the plate. Hacopian saw one pitch before pulling the second offering from 49ers’ starter Cameron Hansen over the left field wall. It was the freshman’s third home run this season.

Kevin Keister recorded the second hit of the inning a batter later with a single up the middle. Jacob Orr was hit in the following at-bat, putting two runners on base. Elijah Lambros failed to make contact in his first plate appearance, giving Devin Russell the chance for an RBI. Russell hit a line drive just over the head of shortstop Brandon Stahlman, scoring Keister from second. The final two runs of the inning came on a walk by Eddie Hacopian and a hit-by-pitch from Sam Hojnar. 

The Terps’ two out hitting continued into the next inning with Lambros’ second at-bat. Lambros stood in the box with Hansen on the mound and the count balanced with a ball and strike. Orr waited at first, a byproduct of his first hit of the game, as Hansen threw his pitch toward the inner part of the plate. Lambros turned on the pitch, sending the ball off the light post in left field, a no doubt homer that increased Maryland’s lead to six.

Hansen didn’t return for the fourth. Left-hander Andrew Spolyar took the mound to start the fourth inning in relief of the senior. Hansen ended the game giving up six earned runs in his three innings of work, allowing four free passes and striking out four.

Spolyar suppressed the Maryland lineup for much of his four-inning relief appearance, but in the eighth the Terps lineup figured the lefty out. The inning started with a walk to Brayden Martin and then Eddie Hacopian blasted his first home run of the season so deep in the left field area that left fielder Carson Bayne never even looked back. Alex Calarco drove in Maryland’s last run of the inning on a sacrifice fly, giving the Terps a seven run advantage.

Maryland scored four more runs in the ninth on back to back home runs from Chris Hacopian and Calarco, making the score, 13-2. The Terps hit five home runs in the game.  

Logan Koester outdueled his competition, throwing 91 pitches scattered throughout six innings. Koester allowed the 49ers to score two runs in his outing on just five hits, one of which for extra bases. Koester had good command, walking just two Charlotte batters. Those two walks came in his final inning of work, but he stranded both of them on base, ending his day with a weak pop fly from Juan Correa.  

Nate Haberthier followed Koester, pitching three innings of scoreless baseball to earn his second save of the season.

The win gave Maryland a chance at winning the weekend series in the second game. Maryland took advantage of that chance, winning the seven inning contest by one run.

Maryland scored three runs in the game. The first run came in the third inning due in part to poor defense from Charlotte. 

Charlie Glennon got on base with one out after being hit by a pitch from starter Trey Baker. Glennon took his lead at first and Baker decided to throw over on a pickoff move, but instead of hitting the first baseman’s glove, Baker threw the ball away allowing Glennon to advance into scoring position. Martin hit a single that got past the infield, scoring Glennon. 

The 49ers took the lead in the bottom of the fourth receiving help from poor Maryland defense. 

Eddie Hacopian played left field in the second game and struggled during the fourth inning, committing two errors. The first error came on a fly ball that Hacopian tracked all the way, but as he went to catch the ball it went in and pooped out before he could squeeze the glove shut. That error allowed Bayne to reach second and he came around to score on the following single by Stahlman. 

Eddie’s second error occurred as Maryland tried to keep the game tied at one. Shane Taylor hit a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield. Eddie rushed in to field it as the runner on second just touched third. Maryland’s left fielder went to scoop the ball and fire home, but instead the ball bounced off his glove and the runner scored without a throw. 

Maryland’s final two runs came in the top of the sixth, trailing by a run. Chris Hacopian led off the inning with a double over the head of the 49ers’ center fielder. Keister drove a double into right field a batter later, scoring Hacopian. Lambros followed the Maryland captain with an RBI single up the middle. The back to back RBI hits provided Maryland with its winning run. 

The Terps ran two pitchers to the bump in the second game. Joey McMannis started his second game in a row, throwing 62 pitches over three innings. McMannis had both runs score while he was pitching, though only one run counted as an earned run. Logan Berrier pitched the final four innings without allowing a run. Berrier allowed one hit and struck out five Charlotte batters. 

The Terps sweep of Sunday’s games makes them undefeated in weekend series this season. 

Maryland will stay on the road to face Mount St. Mary’s in the two teams’ second mid-week matchup of the season. The Terps won the first meeting, 14-3.