After cruising to an 11-3 win in Friday’s opener, Indiana baseball could not replicate its success Saturday, falling to Maryland 14-4 at the Bob “Turtle'' Smith Stadium in College Park, Maryland, in a shortened seven-inning contest.
The Hoosiers jumped on Maryland early, scoring three runs in the first inning against Terrapin sophomore right-hand pitcher Logan Hastings.
Indiana sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley sparked the first inning rally with a single to left field. Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie followed with a base hit to put two runners on base, and with two outs, sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian delivered a two-RBI single through the left side to give Indiana an early 2-0 lead.
Moments later, Malamazian came around to score when sophomore outfielder Cole Decker doubled to right field, extending the Hoosiers’ lead to 3-0.
The early success marked a continuation of Indiana’s offensive momentum from Friday’s win, but it didn’t last.
Maryland answered immediately in the bottom of the first inning, cutting into the lead with a bases-loaded walk before breaking the game open in the second. The Terrapins erupted for five runs on six hits to take a 6-3 lead, highlighted by RBI doubles from redshirt-sophomore outfielder Jordan Crosland, freshman infielder Ty Kaunas and sophomore infielder Paul Jones II.
Indiana’s starter, graduate student right-handed pitcher Reagan Rivera, lasted just one inning, allowing six runs on five hits and three walks before being lifted. The Hoosiers used five pitchers in the game, combining to allow 14 runs on 14 hits while issuing 10 walks. Maryland has thrived on walks throughout the season, as it ranked second in the Big Ten in walks drawn ahead of the contest.
Maryland continued to build its lead, adding two runs in the fourth and another five-run frame in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Meanwhile, Hastings settled in after the first inning in his first start of the season. The right-hander worked all seven innings, allowing six hits and four runs while striking out five and walking just one.
After surrendering three runs in the opening inning, Hastings allowed just one run the rest of the way — a solo home run from Hanley in the third — and consistently kept Indiana off balance.
Hanley led Indiana with two hits, including the home run, while Koskie added two hits, and Malamazian drove in two runs.
Despite the early offensive burst, Indiana was unable to sustain pressure at the plate.
The Hoosiers managed just three hits after the first inning and were limited to six hits total, as Hastings induced weak contact and worked efficiently through the lineup. Hastings induced three Indiana double-plays on the way to a complete game victory.
Maryland added its last run in the seventh inning to push the lead to 14-4, ending the game in emphatic fashion. With one out in the inning, redshirt-junior catcher Devin Russell launched a home run to left-center field, delivering the walk-off blow and securing the run-rule victory for the Terrapins.
With the series now even at 1-1, the Hoosiers will look to take Sunday’s rubber match for its first Big Ten road series win of the season. The first pitch will be at noon, with Indiana sophomore left-handed pitcher Brayton Thomas and Maryland freshman left-handed pitcher Austin Weiss projected to get the final starts of the series.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
