With two outs in the top of the ninth, Maryland baseball couldn’t close out the win, allowing an RBI single to tie the game at nine.
Despite pitching great throughout, the Terps’ bullpen could not shut it down when it mattered most. As has been the case for a lot of this season, the Terps’ bats were not going down without a fight.
With the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Jordan Crosland smoked one right at the shortstop, who appeared to turn a tight double play, leaving fans at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium in disbelief.
That said, after a lengthy video review, the call was reversed. Crosland went from zero to hero, giving the Terps a 10-9 walk-off win.
“I feel like I beat it. I gave it a hard 90. Just playing hard, that’s all you can do. I was just praying that I was safe,” Crosland said.
Despite two three-run home runs from Joseph Mennella, both off of Maryland starter Lance Williams, the Terps consistently answered the bell.
“I think responding shows a lot about your character; that’s just the way it is in baseball, especially this time of year. Just the way we responded on Tuesday, we have a great group of guys,” head coach Matt Swope said.
After a scoreless first from both offenses, they both exploded.
Omar Carreras went deep to straightaway center off Lance Williams in the 2nd, but the Terps responded with a RBI triple from Antonio Morales, followed up by an infield single by Brayden Martin to tie the score.
This see-saw matchup had just begun when Joseph Mennella launched his first of two three-run shots to give the Seahawks the lead again. A RBI single from Paul Jones II cut the lead to two, before Bud Coombs went deep to center for his second home run in his second start, a three-run jack that put the Terps back up.
“He’s just an athletic freak. All the tools he shows a day, he let his athleticism take over for itself, you saw the output. He’s a great player,” Crosland said.
Mennella wasn’t done yet, however, as he took Williams deep to right center for his second home run of the night to give the Seahawks a two-run lead.
The Terps began to play some small ball, with a sacrifice fly from David Mendez and Antonio Morales reaching an error to score Bud Coombs. Brayden Martin then knocked in his second RBI single of the night to give the Terps a slim lead.
The Terps bullpen was a strength for them tonight, as Ryan Bailey, Jayson Torres and Cristofer Cespedes threw four straight shutout innings. The Seahawks were down to their last out and they made it count — an RBI single tied the score at nine.
However, in the bottom of the ninth, three straight walks, along with the quick-footed Crosland gave Maryland its second walkoff of the week.
