Liberty University
23-14
Maryland
25-10
No. 22 Maryland Rallies in Ninth for Win over Liberty
4/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The No. 22 Maryland Terrapins struck for three two-out runs in the ninth inning for a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Liberty Flames, Wednesday afternoon at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Liberty jumped out to a 4-0 through the first three innings, only to see the visiting Terps whittle away at its advantage with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to set up the ninth inning.
Flames second baseman Clay Keranen had two hits, a double and three RBI. Shortstop Dalton Britt also collected two hits, a double and scored a run, while designated hitter Andrew Yacyk added two hits and scored two runs.
Liberty drops to 23-14 on the year, while Maryland goes to 25-10 on the season.
The Flames staked themselves to a 2-0 advantage in the second. Yacyk opened the home half of the inning with a single and scored two batters later on a double into the left field corner by Keranen. Later in the frame, Britt lined a two-out double into the right-center field gap to plate Keranen for a 2-0 edge.
In the bottom of the third, Liberty added to its lead. With two outs, Yacyk singled and left fielder Josh Close doubled. Keranen followed with a two-run single, upping the Flames' lead to 4-0.
Maryland plated its first run of the contest in the fourth. With one out, third baseman Jose Cuas walked and stole second. Two batters later, designated hitter Jamal Wade's two-out single scored Cuas to make it 4-1.
The Terps continued cut into the Liberty advantage in the fifth. Center fielder LaMonte Wade and second baseman Brandon Lowe led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After a double steal with one out, catcher Kevin Matir pushed across a run with a RBI ground out, trimming the Liberty edge to 4-2.
Maryland closed the gap on the scoreboard to one run in the sixth. Right fielder Anthony Papio walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a grounder moved Papio to third with one out, left fielder Kengo Kawahara's sacrifice bunt plated the runner to make it, 4-3 Liberty.
In the ninth, Matir doubled with two outs and advanced to third base as Cuas reached on an error by Liberty third baseman Jake Kimble. Papio followed with a run-scoring single to knot the game at 4-4. A hit batter and two walks forced in two runs to give the Terps a 6-4 lead.
First baseman/pitcher Alex Close lead off the bottom of the ninth against reliever Kevin Rooney, only to have the right-hander retire the next three batters to record his fourth save of the year.
Alex Close, the fifth of six Liberty pitchers in the contest, falls to 0-1. The right-hander gave up three runs, all unearned, on two hits. He walked two batters.
Maryland's Zach Morris moves to 3-1 with an inning of scoreless relief. He allowed one hit and walked one.
Liberty collected 12 hits in the contest. Maryland recorded seven.
Liberty next takes the short trip up Route 460 to start a Big South series with the Longwood Lances, Friday evening. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Zach Morris (3-1)
L: Close, Alex (0-1)
S: Kevin Mooney (4)
Batting:
2B: Kevin Martir 1
RBI: Kevin Martir 1 ; Anthony Papio 1 ; Jamal Wade 1 ; Kengo Kawahara 2 ; Justin Morris 1
SH: Kengo Kawahara 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kevin Martir 1 ; Jose Cuas 2 ; Anthony Papio 2 ; LaMonte Wade 1
SB: Brandon Lowe 1 ; Jose Cuas 1 ; LaMonte Wade 1
HBP: Jose Cuas 1 ; Anthony Papio 1 ; Tim Lewis 1
Batting:
2B: Britt, Dalton 1 ; Close, Josh 1 ; Keranen, Clay 1
RBI: Britt, Dalton 1 ; Keranen, Clay 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Yacyk, Andrew 2 ; Close, Josh 1 ; Keranen, Clay 1
SB: Britt, Dalton 1
