Indiana drops Maryland series, awaits fate in selection show
Indiana played No. 25 Maryland in its final regular-season series of the year and lost the first two games, consequently dropping the series before coming back to win the series finale.
The three-game road set was crucial for the Hoosiers, who were and still are seeking a playoff berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Game 1:
IU RHP Gabe Bierman was initially projected to start the series finale, but was switched to start the series opener and first game of the doubleheader on Saturday following the rainout on Friday. Bierman had a great outing and allowed one earned run on four hits, walked three and struck out six through six innings pitched.
UMD jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when a one-out double followed by a hit by pitch put two runners on for the Terrapins. Cleanup hitter Randy Bednar then singled up the middle, scoring the runner from second to give Maryland a 1-0 lead.
There was no scoring for IU until the Hoosiers got on the board in the top of the fourth. Leadoff hitter Jeremy Houston drew a walk and advanced to third after a one-out single up the middle put runners on the corners. Next up to bat, Cole Barr hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Houston to tie the game 1-1.
IU extended its lead in the top of the sixth, plating two more runs. Houston hit a leadoff double to left field and later scored to make it 2-1 on a single to center field by Grant Richardson. A hit by pitch followed by a walk loaded up the bases for Jordan Fucci, who hit a sacrifice fly to left field. Richardson scored to extend the lead to 3-1.
Starting in the bottom of the eighth, the Terrapins started to chip away. Pinch hitter Luke Shliger hit a leadoff double and tagged up after a fly ball, moving to third. A ground out then scored Shliger from third, cutting IU's lead to 3-2.
RHP Grant Macciocchi initially entered in the seventh and remained in the game to pitch in the ninth. He struck out the first batter he faced, but Maxwell Costes drove a ball to deep left-center field for a home run to tie the game 3-3 and ruin Macchiocchi’s save opportunity. However, the Terrapins failed to walk it off, sending the game into extra innings.
The Hoosiers were retired in order in the top of the tenth.
A leadoff walk and two hit batters later loaded up the bases with one out in the bottom of the tenth for UMD. RHP Nathan Stahl replaced Macciocchi but walked a batter, scoring the runner from third as the Terrapins walked it off, winning 4-3 and taking the series opener.
Game 2:
RHP McCade Brown was on the bump for the second game and seriously struggled with command, walking eight batters through three innings. He also allowed two earned runs on one hit while striking out five.
In the top of the first, Brown's struggle with command was the most apparent out of the total three innings he pitched. He walked three Terrapins consecutively and loaded up the bases. Brown recorded the second out but walked two more with the bases loaded, totaling five walks in the inning and giving Maryland an early 2-0 lead.
Brown started the bottom of the second issuing back-to-back walks but escaped the inning unscathed.
The Terrapins extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth after Costes hit a one-out double to right field, scoring Benjamin Cowles from first to make it 3-0.
A two-out walk in the top of the seventh followed by a single—IU's first hit of the game—and another walk loaded up the bases. Pinch hitter Ethan Vercrumba almost gave the Hoosiers a 4-3 edge with a deep fly ball to right field, but it did not clear the yard and was caught on the warning track.
UMD plated two in the bottom half of the inning and took a 5-0 lead. A leadoff triple followed by a single up the middle extended the Terrapins’ lead to 4-0. Shliger singled up the middle later in the inning with the bases loaded and another scored, extending the lead to 5-0.
IU cut the deficit to 5-1 in the top of the eighth when Drew Ashley hit a solo home run to left-center for IU's second hit of the game.
IU plated another run in the top of the ninth but failed to rally and come back from down four runs, losing the second game 5-2.
Game 3:
RHP John Modugno started the final game of the regular season for the Hoosiers on Sunday. He hurled four innings, allowing one run on three hits while walking three and striking out four.
UMD struck first and broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the second after Bednar drove a ball over the left-center field wall for a solo home run, giving UMD a 1-0 lead.
The Terrapins extended their lead in the bottom of the third after Modugno committed a throwing error trying to pick Chris Alleyne off at first base. Alleyne moved to third on the error and scored when Fougerousse threw the ball away, attempting to throw it to Collin Hopkins behind the plate. The unearned run made it 2-0.
But IU's offense came alive in the top of the fifth as a sacrifice fly and a single scored two, tying the game 2-2.
IU extended its lead in the top of the sixth after Fucci hit a two-run home run to left field, making it a 4-2 ballgame. Fougerousse also homered to left field to extend the lead to 5-2. Ashley doubled later in the inning, scoring another to give the Hoosiers a 6-2 lead.
Fucci hit another home run in the top of the seventh, this time a solo home run to add to IU’s lead and make it a 7-2 ballgame.
Benjamin Cowles doubled in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a runner from first base to cut IU's lead to 7-3.
But unlike the first game, IU's bullpen successfully closed out the game and the Hoosiers won the finale 7-3, avoiding the sweep.
Closing Thoughts:
While it seemed like everything clicked on Sunday morning with the offense scoring seven runs and the pitching holding the Terrapins to two runs, the first two games did not see the same blend of success.
IU batted 10-64 (.156 avg) combined in team hitting for the first two games and struck out 28 times compared to 14-36 (.389 avg) and striking out five times in the final game.
A point of struggle this weekend was the bullpen, who allowed seven of the 11 earned runs throughout the series. However, it was not egregious as UMD scored four in the first game and five in the second, a number that is not unbeatable. But the offense struggled to provide support.
It is also worth mentioning that there were zero errors in the first two games but two in the series finale, which was the best game for the Hoosiers offensively and pitching-wise throughout the weekend.
It appears that since IU has hit its skid in the final stretch of the season, there was rarely a complete combination of offense, pitching and defense all coming together. While it's unreasonable to expect this outcome for every game of the season, there has not been a real coming together since the two-game sweep of Rutgers starting on May 7.
However, one big positive for the Hoosiers is their resiliency in winning the series finale. The first game was a tough walk-off loss and the second saw the bats struggling to come alive. Still, IU came out fighting and ended the season on a high note.
Now that the regular season has concluded with no conference tournament this season, the Hoosiers await the selection show to see if they will be chosen to play in the NCAA Tournament.
The latest predictions from D1Baseball and BaseballAmerica on May 30 forecast IU missing this year's tournament. But have the Hoosiers done enough in College Park to secure a bid? The selection show will occur on Monday, May 31 at noon ET and can be watched on ESPN2.
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