COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland scored nine runs in the eighth inning to complete a furious comeback and beat George Mason, 15-8, on Tuesday afternoon at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.

George Mason jumped out to a fast start, scoring four runs in the first inning and two more in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Maryland responded with four runs in the bottom of the second. The biggest hit of the inning was a 450-foot solo home run to right-center by Hollis Porter. His home run was his ninth of the season.

The redshirt sophomore first baseman — who finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs — added another run-scoring double later in the game. 

After trimming the deficit to one in the third inning, the Terps continued to trail for most of the afternoon. They entered the bottom of the eighth down, 8-6.

Maryland sent 13 batters to the plate in the eighth inning and scored nine unanswered runs to take control. Alex Calarco delivered the go-ahead hit — a two-run double down the right-field line — after starting the game hitless. Jacob Orr and Porter followed with RBI doubles, and the lineup kept producing as the inning unfolded.

Brayden Martin and Eddie Hacopian opened the rally with RBI singles to tie the game. Later in the inning, Aden Hill drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Elijah Lambros reached on a bunt single that allowed another run to score. Hacopian added his second RBI of the inning with a line drive to center.

“You can feel the energy shift once we got going,” said Hacopian.

All nine Maryland starters recorded at least one RBI. Four players — Calarco, Porter, Hacopian, and Hill — finished with two each. Hacopian went 4-for-5 at the plate.

Andrew Johnson picked up the win out of the bullpen, working three solid innings and limiting the Patriots to one run. Joey McMannis pitched the ninth to finish it off.

Maryland totaled 17 hits, including four doubles, and committed no errors in the field.

“We are way too talented to be .500,” said Maryland head coach Matt Swope. “We needed to make some changes, and then try to do something, and that’s what we did.”

The Terps, now 13-12, will try to win their first weekend series of the year against Northwestern in College Park this weekend.