The Terps left 11 men on base Sunday.
After confirming its first series win with two straight victories against Penn State, Maryland baseball entered Sunday’s contest with the chance to tie its season high three-game winning streak.
But in spite of a seventh-inning home run from Chris Hacopian to trim its lead, Maryland failed to capitalize on several key scoring opportunities.
The Terps couldn’t overcome a Nittany Lion mid-game scoring burst and a two-hour rain delay, falling to Penn State, 8-4, in University Park.
Maryland struck first. With a full count and two outs, Hollis Porter launched a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, giving the Terps an early 2-0 lead.
Penn State answered immediately. A throwing error from Maryland starter Omar Menendez allowed the Nittany Lions to extend the inning. From there, two singles — the second from Jesse Jaconski — drove the runner around the bases, cutting the Terps’ lead in half.
With the game in its groove, Melendez and Penn State’s Mason Butash traded outs, keeping the next two innings scoreless.
Maryland’s offense threatened in the second inning with a single from Elijah Lambros, but he was left stranded. Melendez quickly retired Penn State in the bottom half to retain the lead.
A pickoff and lack of timely hitting led to a scoreless third inning for the Terps. The Nittany Lions put runners on in the bottom of the inning, but were thwarted by a fielder’s choice.
In the fourth inning, Maryland loaded the bases — chasing starter Butash out of the game — but Penn State’s Matthew VanOstenbridge escaped the jam.
Penn State scored again in the bottom of the fourth inning, capitalizing on another defensive error by Maryland. A throwing miscue from Aden Hill set up the scoring sequence. Derek Cease’s RBI single and a bases-clearing two-run double by Ryan Weingartner put the Nittany Lions ahead 4-2.
The Terps loaded the bases for a second time in the fifth inning, but again they couldn’t convert. Porter struck out and Jacob Orr grounded out to waste a golden opportunity for Maryland to flip the script.
The Nittany Lions didn’t slow down. In the bottom of the fifth inning, a walk and a stolen base set up an RBI triple by Nate Voss. Cease followed with another run-scoring single up the middle to extend the lead to 6-2.
The Terps remained quiet in the sixth inning, and Melendez retired for the day. Ryan Van Buren entered in relief.
Maryland’s offense added two runs in the seventh inning — on a home run from Chris Hacopian that scored Brayden Martin — right before the game took a pause for a rain delay.
Ultimately, Chris Hacopian’s blast wasn’t enough to overcome Penn State’s pressure and Maryland’s offensive errors. Penn State quickly added two more runs in the seventh inning to take an 8-4 advantage.
The Terps struggled to respond, going down in order in the eighth inning. In the ninth inning, each Hacopian recorded a single, but Porter, Orr and Alex Calarco were unable to make the game close. Melendez took the loss for Maryland, allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings, and had only one strikeout.
Three things to know
1. A good day for the Hacopians. While Chris Hacopian had his own hitting success, Eddie Hacopian’s lone hit Sunday brings him one closer to sixth place all-time in program history, a slot currently held by Matt Shaw. He currently sits at 221 career hits.
2. Missed chances. Maryland had opportunities but couldn’t capitalize in key moments, leaving the bases loaded across multiple innings. Maryland left 11 runners on base Sunday, while Penn State left seven.
3. Long rain delay shifts momentum. A two-run homer by Chris Hacopian in the top of the seventh inning brought Maryland within two runs, but a two-hour rain delay halted Maryland’s momentum.