With the game tied in the eighth inning, Elijah Lambros stepped to the plate. Lambros, in his first start since March 24, drove the ball over the fence in left center. 

Lambros’ seventh home run of the season broke the 7-7 tie, giving the Terps an 8-7 lead. Nick Lorusso and Matt Shaw added a pair of solo shots later in the inning to increase the lead to three. 

Maryland’s three-homer eighth inning propelled them to a 10-9 victory over the No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten opener. Maryland trailed as many as 5-0 earlier in the game and battled all the way back.

The Terps came in winners of three-straight. The Terps most recent win came on Tuesday, beating Georgetown, 10-7. Nick Lorusso extended his hitting-streak to 23 games, blasting a three-run homer in the win. The Hawkeyes enter the game following a loss to Illinois State in their mid-week game. Sam Hojnar brought in two of Iowa’s three runs with a two-run home run in the loss. 

Friday’s pitching matchup provided two of the best strike throwers in the Big Ten. Maryland starter Jason Savacool ranks eighth in the Big Ten in strikeouts. Iowa starter Brody Brecht ranks third in that statistic with 46 punch outs this season. Both starters entered the game with ERAs under 2.50, setting up for a possible pitchers duel. 

That possibility ended rather quickly. 

Savacool labored through a difficult first inning in which he had trouble throwing strikes consistently. Savacool walked the first batter of the inning and an error by Matt Shaw at shortstop put runners at the corners with no outs. Savacool walked his second batter of the inning, loading the bases for Iowa slugger, Keaton Anthony. 

Anthony, Iowa’s leader in extra base hits, broke the game open with a grand slam that flew over the wall in left center. Sam Petersen blasted a solo shot over the wall in left just a batter later, giving the Hawkeyes an early 5-0 lead. 

Brecht was dealing to start the game. Brecht had eight strikeouts through the first three innings allowing just one hit to Eddie Hacopian. Hacopian and Shaw were the only two baserunners for Maryland in its first time through the order. 

The Terps finally broke through with a three run fifth inning that cut the Iowa lead to two. Jacob Orr got the inning started with a single through the left side of the infield. Luke Shliger reached base on a hit-by-pitch to put two runners on for Nick Lorusso. 

Lorusso extended his hitting streak driving a ball up the middle scoring Orr from second. Shaw followed that up with a single and an RBI of his own, driving in Shliger from second base. Maryland scored its third run on a bases loaded balk from Brecht, bringing the score to, 5-3. 

Raider Tello brought the Hawkeye lead back to three with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth on the first pitch of the inning from Savacool. That was the last hit Savacool would give up, ending the inning with three straight outs. 

Both starters ended their days after the fifth inning. Savacool had a rough first inning, but was able to bounce back holding the Hawkeye lineup to just four hits and one run from the second inning through the fifth. Brecht was dominant for most of the game, ending his outing giving up three earned runs. Brecht struck out 13 Maryland batters (Brecht’s season high) and left the outing with a chance at his third win of the year.

That chance dissipated in the sixth inning thanks to the bat of Matt Shaw. Iowa’s new pitcher, Jared Simpson, loaded the bases on a single, hit-by-pitch, and walk, bringing up the hot bat of Lorusso. Lorusso struck out on a 1-2 pitch making it two outs in the inning. Up came Shaw who had a hit in every at-bat to that point. 

That streak didn’t stop there as he belted an 0-2 offering from Simpson over the fence in left center, giving the Terps their first lead in the ball game, 7-6. 

That lead stood for an inning before the Hawkeyes tied the score in the bottom of the seventh. The Hawkeyes loaded the bases against Tommy Kane with one out in the inning. Kane got Sam Hojnar to ground the ball to Hacopian at first who smartly threw to Shliger at the plate, getting the lead runner out and saving a run. Kane, one out away from getting through the inning, plunked Cade Moss driving in the tying run. 

The Terps bullpen gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth after their three run top half, holding a one run lead entering the final frame. David Falco Jr. earned the final three outs of the game, his second save of the year. 

Maryland’s three home run eighth inning proved to be the deciding factor in a game that the Terps clawed their way back into. Matt Shaw was electric at the plate going 4-4 from the dish, collecting six RBI, and blasting two home runs. Maryland’s offense as a whole was 3-9 with runners in scoring position. 

Maryland will look to keep the offensive production up as they take on Iowa in the second game of the three game set.