COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Eddie Hacopian took two small steps down the first baseline looking toward the sky. Hacopian watched as his hit disappeared behind the green batter’s eye in center field. He proceeded to flip his bat in excitement and trot around the bases soaking in the moment before meeting his fellow teammates at home plate.
Hacopian’s three run homer was the start of a seven run third inning for the Terps that powered them to a 22-11 victory over Northwestern (12-13, 5-4 Big Ten) Sunday afternoon. Maryland’s 22 runs were the most it’s ever scored in a Big Ten game.
“It was great [for him],” said Maryland catcher Alex Calarco. “Great game for him just got to keep on stacking good days and just find a way to be consistent.”
Following Eddie’s at-bat, Northwestern got Chris Hacopian to ground out but walked Calarco putting a runner on for the former junior college first baseman Hollis Porter. Porter started the game as the Terps most consistent hitter of the weekend with a .500 average through the first two games.
Porter blasted the full count offering from Wildcat right hander Jack Grunkemeyer deep over the right field wall giving Maryland a double digit advantage in the run column. Porter finished the weekend with nine hits and 13 RBI.
“Today it was really fun. Me and Hollis we had a kind of, we were going back and forth so when Hollis comes into the dugout I just screamed Hollywood in his face,” said Calarco. “It gets everyone going and it’s just been really fun to just go out and compete with every guy in the dugout.”
Liam Willson finished the scoring in the third with a two RBI double to right field in his first game since March 9.
The Terps (14-14, 3-6 Big Ten) lineup dominated almost every pitching option Northwestern turned too. Maryland had 16 hits, 15 walks, and struck out just twice in the seven inning game. Ten of Maryland’s hits were for extra bases. Five were home runs.
Calarco was responsible for two of those homers sending the ball out of the ballpark in the first and second inning. The former Wildcat deposited his 12th and 13th home runs of the season in the same spot behind the batter’s eye in center. Calarco’s first homer was a two run shot from the left side. His second was from the right side and plated three.
Another positive for the struggling Terrapins was the start from Freshman arm Jake Yeager. Although the stats don’t necessarily show it — Yeager allowed six runs in his four and a third innings of work — the right-hander pitched a strong game for the Terps.
Yeager took over the Sunday role last weekend against Washington after starting the season as Maryland’s mid-week starter. The Olney, Maryland, product allowed two earned runs over the course of four and two thirds innings against the Huskies while walking and striking out two batters.
The Wildcats scored five of their six runs against the freshman in the top of the fifth after he endured two long layoffs in back to back half innings in which the Terps scored ten runs. Yeager attempted to stay warm by throwing in the bullpen while the lineup hit, but the down time was too much to overcome.
“He gave us a good start,” said head coach Matt Swope. “It allowed us to build that lead to the point where young guys got to understand, though, if you have a 40 minute inning the focus and the intent and all those things are really important within those time frames.”
Andrew Koshy followed Yeager and struck out the first batter he faced. The next batter — Trent Liolios — hit a shallow fly ball that fell into and then out of Chris Hacopian’s glove. Northwestern took advantage of the blunder scoring three more runs after the error on an RBI double from Vince Bianchina and a two run homer off the bat of Bennett Markinson.
The Wildcats’ eight run fifth inning would’ve ended Maryland’s chances of ending the game in seven innings, but the Terps lineup made sure it wouldn’t.
Maryland scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth on a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch, and Porter’s second home run of the game that drove in three runs. Andrew Johnson allowed a pair of runs to score in the top of the seventh, but struck out Zach Carlson to end the game early just as Northwestern did the day prior.
Despite losing another weekend series, the Terps will try to carry the momentum from their Sunday victory into their mid-week game against UMBC on Tuesday.
“I’m not gonna lie it’s been embarrassing up to this point, there’s no way to mince the words despite the win today,” said Swope. “We got to play more consistent baseball.”
