By Chris Rogers-Spatuzzi

An unusual but dominant pitching combination accompanied by several key hits led the Terrapins to a 3-0 win over the visiting James Madison Dukes on Wednesday.

Maryland closer Kevin Mooney started the game, but was limited to forty pitches. He got into trouble in the second when he hit two men and walked another to load the bases. He pitched out of it unscathed, but was pulled afterward, completing just two scoreless innings. Freshman Brian Shaffer came on in relief and was dominant, allowing just one hit and one walk over six innings.

James Madison starter Tucker McCoy was also sharp early on, but second baseman Brandon Lowe put the Terps on the board in the third with a solo home run, his sixth of the year. The Terps extended their lead to 2-0 in the fifth after Anthony Papio drew a leadoff walk and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. They loaded the bases later that inning but failed to capitalize on it. An inning later, a one-out triple by Tim Lewis followed by an RBI single by Papio netted the team their third run.

The Terps finished the game with just four hits, but three went for extra bases, which was enough to beat the Dukes to even the season series at 1-1. It was also a big rebound for the Terps after losing two of three over the weekend at Michigan.

“It was a big win,” Papio said after the game. “We tried to come out here with a lot of energy today; this past weekend that was lacking a little bit. It got us a little momentum going into this weekend when we’ve got a good team coming in here, so it was big for us.”

With the win, Maryland improved to 19-7 on the season. They start a three game home series against Nebraska this weekend.