The No. 18 Maryland Terrapins again failed to find a way to beat No.4 Ole Miss, losing their first matchup in Minnesota, 5-1. 

After facing this Rebel team three times last weekend, the Terps held one more crack for redemption. The game is in a neutral site, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, at the Cambria College Classic. 

The game started with a clean first inning by both teams. Ole Miss’ Kemp Alderman got the scoring started in the second. 

Alderman blasted his fifth home run of the season (second against Maryland) to the stands in right field. The homer put Ole Miss in the lead, 1-0. 

That home run was the only score for the first three innings. Both pitchers were pitching well, either avoiding trouble or working through it. 

Jack Dougherty for Ole Miss was especially good in those first three frames. Dougherty retired the first seven Maryland hitters and after walking Bobby Zmarzlak and Elijah Lambros, he was able to leave the inning unscathed. 

Dougherty continued mowing down the Maryland lineup until he ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. Nick Lorusso started the half inning with the Terps’ first hit of the game, a single through the hole at shortstop. 

Ian Petrutz and Eddie Hacopian grounded out behind Lorusso, but the two balls in play moved Lorusso to third. That brought Matt Woods to the plate with two outs and a big opportunity. Woods made the most of it, hitting a single up the middle, bringing home the Terps’ first and only run.

The hit was Woods’ first of the season, also his first RBI. Woods missed the first four games of the year with a back injury.

The tie was short-lived for Maryland as Ole Miss countered in the top of the fifth. 

Peyton Chatagnier worked a walk against Savacool, the only walk he allowed, with one out in the inning. The walk turned the lineup over.

Savacool got the next batter, Jacob Gonzalez, to fly out to left field. Savacool couldn’t accomplish a similar feat with the next batter Ethan Groff. Groff blasted a 2-run home run to center field, sending Ole Miss ahead, 3-1.

Unlike that first weekend series, when both teams averaged more than six runs a game, today was a low-scoring pitcher’s duel. The duel was a rematch of last Friday, with Jason Savacool on the bump for Maryland and Jack Dougherty for Ole Miss. 

Dougherty got the best of Savacool in this one. Dougherty only allowed three hits and one run, while striking out seven Terps in six innings of work. 

“Dougherty was unbelievable tonight. He had really, really good stuff,” said head coach Rob Vaughn. 

Savacool didn’t have a bad outing, either. Savacool ended his day with five innings pitched, allowing three earned runs. 

“Savy was just incredible man,” said Vaughn. “He shut them down, had plenty of opportunities I think could’ve got messy, and he didn’t let it. He was outstanding.”

Tommy Kane relieved Savacool in the sixth inning and pitched really well until trouble found him in the top of the ninth. 

The inning started with TJ McCants getting his first hit of the day, a double. Ole Miss then pinch-hit Reagan Burford to bunt over McCants to third. Burford laid down a successful bunt making Shliger fire to first to second baseman Kevin Keister covering the bag. The ball got away from Keister, but he recovered and threw out McCants at home, getting the first out of the inning. 

Chatagnier followed Burford’s at-bat with a single, turning the lineup over to Jacob Gonzalez. Gonzalez ended up grounding out on a diving play at first by Hacopian. The Terps decided to swap pitchers, bringing in Kenny Lippman, to get the final out. 

Lippman faced off against Ethan Groff, who for the second time in the game, got the better of Maryland’s pitching. Groff singled home both runners, increasing the Rebel lead to 5-1. The two runners were Groff’s third and fourth RBI of the game. 

This game was a struggle for Maryland hitters. Ole Miss struck out 11 Maryland batters and only allowed five hits. The Terps left nine men on base and were 2-15 with runners on base. 

“It’s a 3-1 game there at the end, and you know, I think the difference in the game, they got it done when it mattered and we didn’t. I think that was the bottom line,” said Vaughn. 

The one positive for Maryland, the bullpen pitched well. The bullpen had been a problem in last weekend series with Ole Miss. That weekend the bullpen allowed 19 runs to cross the plate. 

Tommy Kane had a great bounce-back performance after he allowed four earned runs the first time he pitched against the Rebels. Kane only allowed two runners to score in this one, both deemed unearned. 

The Terps will have to hit better with runners on and get similar production from their bullpen when they take on No.7 Vanderbilt on Saturday.