Maryland baseball comes from behind to defeat Northwestern 4-3

Randy Bednar scored on a Maxwell Costes RBI single in the 4th inning. (Photo Courtesy of Maryland Athletics)

Maryland (vii-9) received some late-inning heroics from shortstop Ben Cowles to give the Terps a much-needed home win over the Northwestern Wildcats (9-vi) 4-three in the first game of a four-game split up series at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.

"They are not agape to come from backside," head motorbus Rob Vaughn said.

Northwestern got on the board early equally Maryland starter Sean Burke struggled with his control. Burke gave up a leadoff unmarried to first baseman Anthony Calarco. Left fielder Stephen Hrustich walked so advanced to 3rd on a Burke wild pitch. Burke then loaded the bases with a walk to designated hitter David Dunn. A bases-loaded walk to second baseman Vincent Bianchina scored Calarco and gave Northwestern a 1-0 lead in the meridian of the first inning.

Right fielder Leo Kaplan reached on an error by Matt Shaw that scored Hrustich and gave Northwestern a 2-0 lead while Burke struck out 3rd baseman Evan Minarovic as the Wildcats scored a pair of runs in the opening inning.

Burke gave upwards a solo home run to shortstop Shawn Goosenberg in the top of the second inning that extended the lead to 3-0 for Northwestern. Through five innings, Burke walked 5, but also struck out eight, which is an area where he's had success this season. Northwestern starter Mike Doherty kept the Maryland lineup in check by locating his pitches and keeping the ball depression in the zone.

"He doesn't take the stuff that some of the guys in our league have from a velocity standpoint, but he tin really sink the baseball," Vaughn said.

Over seven innings, Doherty allowed three runs (two unearned) on half-dozen hits with three strikeouts. Doherty induced eight groundouts and nine flyouts.

The momentum changed in the bottom of the fourth inning for Maryland beginning with a leadoff walk by right fielder Randy Bednar. A Doherty wild pitch allowed Bednar to advance to second, which was followed upwards with an RBI unmarried past offset baseman Maxwell Costes that brought the score to 3-1 at the end of four innings.

"Baseball is a funny game," Costes said. "You tin can go a weekend hitless and then come out the next weekend and accept an RBI in your first at-bat."

Reliever Sean Heine entered the game in the peak of the 6th for Maryland and struggled with control early. After a flyout by Minarovic, Heine gave upwards a walk to center fielder Ethan O'Donnell on a 3-two count, but closed out the inning with ii runners left on base.

"I was trying to go on the game close," Heine said. "For our offense, I was trying to keep us inside range."

Maryland tied the game at 3 with the assist of two Northwestern errors. Cowles led off with a single, as designated hitter Bobby Zmarzlak reached on an error by Bianchina. Cowles was picked off at second, simply catcher Justin Vought kept the rally live with a unmarried. Eye fielder Chris Alleyne reached on a Hrustich fault that scored Vought and Zmarzlak tying the game for Maryland.

In the top of the eighth, Maryland escaped a bases-loaded jam every bit reliever David Falco forced Goosenberg into a ground ball to Shaw at third for the out.

"A fastball into one of the best hitters in our league is not an easy pitch to execute, and Falco didn't blink," Vaughn said.

Northwestern went to reliever Reed Smith in the lesser of the eighth after Doherty threw 89 pitches.

Smith walked third baseman Matthew Shaw in the bottom of the eighth and he avant-garde to third on a single past left fielder Tucker Flint. Later in the inning, Flint scored on a sacrifice fly by Cowles, which gave Maryland a 4-3 lead.

Sam Bello closed out the game in the ninth with a salvage preserving the Terps win.

"He's our guy in that spot, if nosotros get the pb, we are going to you lot," Vaughn said of Bello.

Maryland and Northwestern play Game 2 Saturday at Noon.

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Source: http://wmucsports.net/maryland-baseball-comes-from-behind-to-defeat-northwestern-4-3/