By Chris Rogers Spatuzzi
The Terrapins beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 8-3, Sunday, to complete a three-game sweep in their first ever Big Ten series.
It was a come from behind win led by Maryland second baseman Brandon Lowe, who went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Tayler Stiles pitched three scoreless innings in relief for the Terrapins to get the win.
Maryland starter Bobby Ruse struggled throughout the game, pitching just four innings and giving up five hits and three earned runs. Minnesota centerfielder Dan Motl singled to lead off the game, and Jordan Smith followed with a two run homer to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead just two batters into the game. A two-out RBI single in the top of the third would extend their lead to 3-0. After this though, Maryland pitching shut them down, and the Gophers mustered just two hits over the rest of the game. After Ruse was pulled, Stiles pitched three innings, striking out four, and Robert Galligan pitched a perfect eighth.
Meanwhile, the Terps got on the board in the bottom of the third after first baseman Kevin Biondic walked and eventually came around to score on an RBI single by Lowe. This cut the deficit to 3-1. An inning later, a walk, a hit batsman, set up an RBI single for Anthony Papio, followed by an RBI fielder’s choice for Biondic. After four innings, the Terps and Gophers were tied, 3-3. In the fifth, four consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly netted Maryland three more runs, giving them a 6-3 lead. Lowe’s solo home run in the sixth and Tim Lewis’s RBI groundout in the seventh extended their lead to 8-3.
After giving up a leadoff single, Maryland reliever Brian Shaffer struck out the side in the ninth to secure the a sweep for the Terrapins and extend their winning streak to ten straight games.
“It’s a huge deal, coming out our first time in the Big Ten and getting a sweep,” Stiles said after the game. “It makes a statement. We did what we had to do to beat Minnesota.”
The Terrapins improved to 17-4 on the season, and they now embark on a four game road trip starting with a game against James Madison on Tuesday.
