COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Northwestern second baseman Jack Counsell drove the ball deep to center field. As the ball flew through the air, there was no doubt that the hit was going to land over the wall and provide the Wildcats with a two run lead in the top of the ninth. Terrapin center fielder Elijah Lambros had a different outcome in mind.
Lambros sprinted to the wall the second the ball was hit and settled along the warning track as it made its way toward him. Lambros bent his legs and jumped while extending his glove over the wall to intercept the hit. The second year Terp secured the catch and had the awareness to get the ball back into the infield to turn the robbery into a double play putting an end to the half inning.
Lambros’ heroics extended the game, but ultimately the Terps (13-13, 2-5 Big Ten) fell to the Wildcats (11-12, 4-3 Big Ten), 6-5, Friday night on a game winning home run in the tenth inning.
The home run was hit by Northwestern’s first baseman Tyler Ganus.
Ganus faced Maryland reliever Andrew Johnson in the top of tenth with no one on and one out. Johnson fired in four pitches that Ganus fouled off, slowly getting his timing down on the southpaw’s offerings. Johnson — ahead in the count 0-2 — threw his fifth pitch to Ganus which he deposited over the center field wall.
The graduate student entered the game with a single homer on the season but quickly doubled his total and propelled his team to a come from behind victory.
Johnson’s folly wasn’t the only blemish for the Terps bullpen.
At the start of the ninth inning Maryland held a two run lead and turned the ball over to its closer, sophomore Joey McMannis. McMannis recently inherited the closer role replacing the struggling Johnson in the game’s tightest moments, but like Johnson, he was unable to come through.
McMannis walked the first batter he faced but bounced back by striking out shortstop Ryan Kucherak. The Big Ten leader in slugging percentage — Trent Liolios — stepped to the plate as the right-hander’s newest obstacle. Following a strike that evened the count, Liolios blasted a towering fly ball to left field that the outfielders could only stand and witness.
“I expect more from everyone,” head coach Matt Swope said after the game clearly frustrated by the events of the game.
Liolios’ two run homer was his second of the game ballooning his slugging percentage to just seven points under .900. He accounted for half of Northwestern’s scoring.
The most disappointing aspect of the loss is that Maryland actually led for most of the game.
The Terps offense struggled throughout the game recording only five hits and 11 total baserunners. Two of Maryland’s five hits were home runs and accounted for all but one of its runs.
Hollis Porter was the first Terp to homer. Porter belted a three run blast over the wall in right field driving in both Hacopian brothers in the bottom of the third. Porter’s second big fly in as many games provided the Terps with their first lead of the game.
The second home run was a solo endeavor by Aden Hill in the bottom of the seventh. At the time, Hill’s blast was a huge momentum swing for Maryland because it wiped away an error by Jacob Orr in the top half of the inning that allowed Northwestern to tie the game.
Hill’s sixth home run of the year eventually proved to be inconsequential to the game’s outcome.
Besides for the two home runs Maryland’s offense was stagnant. The Terps struck out nine times and their only hit with runners on base was Porter’s homer. Maryland left six runners on base and wasted another strong outing from its starter Kyle McCoy.
McCoy pitched through gruelling outing that lasted through the sixth inning. The redshirt sophomore threw 104 pitches allowing only two earned runs while striking out three Wildcat batters. Northwestern did a marvelous job working deep into counts and making McCoy throw a lot of pitches allowing them to take advantage of an inconsistent Terrapin bullpen in the end.
The Terps will try to bounce back in the second game of the weekend series tomorrow at 2pm.
