This Maryland team has made a custom out of mounting a comeback in the late innings of games. So as the Terps trailed, 7-4, entering the top of the eighth Maryland reliever Logan Ott just had to keep the game where it was. Ott struggled and the lead grew to a point where even a typical Terps comeback would be a miracle.

Ott gave up four runs in the top of the eighth, helping the Indiana Hoosiers (17-14, 2-2 Big Ten) beat the Maryland Terrapins (21-9, 3-4 Big Ten) in the first game of the weekend series, 15-4, Friday night.

Ott started the inning getting two outs on a strikeout and pop-up facing the second and third hitters in the Hoosier lineup. The Hoosiers’ cleanup hitter, Tyler Cerny, got the first hit of the inning with a double to right center. Three singles followed Cerny’s double, scoring two runs. The other two runs came on a double from Josh Pyne that may have been caught if Elijah Lambros and Jacob Orr hadn’t collided in the gap. 

The flurry of runs put Indiana ahead, 11-4, with Maryland having six outs to respond. The Terps went down in order in the eighth and got runners on in the ninth, but failed to push any of them across home plate. 

Maryland’s bats struggled most of the night against Indiana’s pitching, especially starter Ty Bothwell. Bothwell pitched six innings allowing all of Maryland’s four runs to cross the plate although only three were earned. The start was Bothwell’s second of the season backing up a eight inning start against Butler in his first start. 

“That guy’s good. He’s been pitching for five years. I mean his ERA isn’t great but he’s a pitcher, he’s good. I mean, as simple as that,” said head coach Matt Swope. 

Bothwell’s only blemishes came in the first inning and the fourth. The first inning run came via Eddie Hacopian who blasted a solo homer off the scoreboard in left center showing signs of a possible offensive outburst from the Terrapins that never manifested. 

The other three runs were scored in the fourth with the inning starting with a dropped third strike that allowed Sam Hojnar to reach safely. Kevin Keister and Jacob Orr followed their second baseman with back-to-back singles plating a run. Alex Calarco drove home a run with a sacrifice fly and Jordan Crosland’s single to center field rounded out the Terps scoring in the inning. And the game.

Maryland struggled to take advantage of an Indiana staff that has struggled through most of the season. The Hoosiers rank at the bottom of the Big Ten in team ERA and have allowed the third most walks in the conference. Indiana allowed only six walks in this game.

The Terps staff ranked in the top three in the Big Ten coming into the game with a team ERA of 4.96, but Maryland’s staff struggled against the Big Ten’s third ranked offense. 

The Hoosiers lineup had much more success against the Terps pitching, scoring runs in six innings, including nine in the final three all against the bullpen. The Terps threw out three arms that made a combined ten appearances coming into the game in Evan Smith, Logan Ott, and Duke McCarron.

“I don’t really think it came down to the bullpen, Kenny’s just got to be better,” said Swope.   

Lippman’s struggles on the mound continued in this game despite his throwing six innings and 106 pitches. The right hander allowed eight hits across those innings giving up six earned runs. Lippman came into this game having given up eight earned runs in nine and third innings of Big Ten play. Following the game, Lippman’s conference ERA stood at 8.22. 

“We’re just trying to coach him differently or trying to get something out of him, but trying to give him the freedom [to] just go out there and I think he did a better job, you know, after I yelled at him,” said Swope. “And the fourth, fifth, and sixth was, you know, sending a little bit more and [I] told him ‘if you’re gonna hit somebody who cares, when you hit somebody so what,’ you know, but we got to do a better job attacking because we’re not going to win a lot of games on Friday night like that.”

The Terps will look to bounce back in Saturday’s game hoping to avoid their second weekend series loss in as many attempts.