This season has not been pretty for Maryland baseball. There have been a plethora of brutal losses and seemingly little hope for a statement win.
On Saturday against No. 12 USC, the Terps found magic. For essentially the first time all year, their pitching shone and the offense backed it up.
Three home runs led Maryland to a 6-4 upset-ranked win on Saturday at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.
Govel came in with a 0.69 ERA and like clockwork, the Terps saw three scoreless innings. That changed when Bud Coombs ripped a chopper up the middle to plate David Mendez in the bottom of the fourth.
Govel seemed shaken up after this, and he gave up a booming two-run shot by Ty Kaunas to give the Terps the lead.
But after the Trojans scored a run, the fight of the Maryland offense came back better than ever, with a spark from the bottom of the order.
“We were able to post our own big inning, which is just a testament to these guys, a solid baseball win, which is something we definitely needed around here, “ Swope said.
With Govel being pulled from the game, Jackson Siriois hit a booming solo shot to give the Terps the lead, and he also has his first Maryland big fly.
“We had a plan, we stuck to it and having guys buying into it is the biggest thing,” Sirois said.
Aiden Hill walked on four pitches, and with his 55-game on-base streak on the line, Brayden Martin scorched a ball over the right field wall for his first home run since May 3rd, 2025, to give Maryland a 6-3 lead.
Starter Evan Smith had easily his best start of the year as he went five strong innings, only allowing three hits and two runs. Smith threw a whopping 103 pitches.
“Safe to say he’s back and I’m hoping we can have a steady dose of these quality starts because it’s gonna lead to some wins,” Swope said
Despite Smith’s valiant effort, the Terps still struggled with issues harped on by Swope. They committed two errors and walked three batters, along with multiple passed balls that advanced Trojan runners.
That said, many trends turned in the Terps’ favor – something that was massive in the win.
“I thought we did a great job of minimizing. Even when we did give up a freebie, we got an out right after and that was the difference in the game,” Swope said.
Logan Hastings was on fire in the final two frames. He allowed one run in consolation but secured the win with back-to-back punch outs to give the Terps their first ranked win of the season and break a 6-game skid.
Maryland looked to finish off the gauntlet of their schedule with a home series against USC.
Head Coach Matt Swope has continuously mentioned the Terps competing. No matter the opposition, whether it was No. 1 UCLA or any team in between.
This weekend, the Terps took on No. 12 USC.
Friday marked the first-ever game between the two teams, a game where the Trojans won narrowly, 11-10.
Saturday was different and a signature win of Maryland’s season.
