The cardiac Terps completed their 12th comeback win of the season, walking it off against mid-week rival UMBC on Wednesday night.
With the 13-12 win, Maryland moved to 20-9 while UMBC fell t0 11-14.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Iowa Transfer Sam Hojnar swung on a 2-0 count and squeezed a single to left field allowing two runners to score.
Ryan Van Buren started the game for UMBC, only going two innings and giving up five hits, four earned runs, and two walks.
It was a rollercoaster game for the Terps on both sides of the ball. The team led 7-0 after two innings, with the offense scoring seven runs via extra-base hits. However, after the third inning, the Retrievers retired the next ten Maryland hitters, and they took advantage offensively. They tied the game 8-8 going into the seventh when center fielder Justin Taylor launched a grand slam.
Although Maryland cut the deficit to two runs in the eighth from singles by Chris Hacopian and eventually Sam Hojnar, the Terps moved to 8-1 in one-run games and completed their 15th straight win against UMBC. All-time they are 41-13-1 against UMBC.
“I think it’s a culture thing, to be honest,” head coach Matt Swope told the media after the game. “If anybody has been following us for three or four years, no lead is safe. Everybody has contributed over these years. That’s what we preach about as an offense: handing it off.”
Maryland used six pitchers during the game. Eventually, Alex Walsh earned his first win of the season. He recorded zero runs and zero hits over 2.2 innings.
“You got to be ready to seize the opportunity when you get your chance,” Swope said when asked about the bullpen’s performance.
Maryland will host Indiana for a three-game series at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium starting Friday, April 5. The first pitch is at 6 p.m.
