By Ben Harris

Delaware stifled an impromptu ninth-inning rally beating the Terrapins 10-8 Tuesday, Maryland’s second loss in as many weeks to the Blue Hens.

In a home game for Maryland (5-6) played at Harford Community College, Delaware (7-4) plated runs in seven different innings and reached double digits in their second straight game against the Terps. The Blue Hens have scored 10-plus runs in three of 11 games this season, two of which have come against Maryland. Delaware mustered just 11 runs this weekend in three games hosting the Bob Hannah Invitational.

The two teams couldn’t have scored any more differently. The Blue Hens scored in each of the game’s first six innings powered by four straight innings (3-6) with a homer. Of Maryland’s eight runs, only three were the direct result of RBI hits: a single from Nick Dunn in the first and double from Dan Maynard in the ninth.

The remaining five came on an error, a wild pitch and three bases loaded walks/hit by pitches. Walks became a trend for the Terps as they drew a season-high 10 free passes. Nobody logged multiple hits on the day; all nine Terrapin hits were spread out through the order.

Continuing his Big Ten award-winning performance from last week (.643/.700/.786), Dunn drove home Madison Nickens with an RBI single in the first, Maryland’s sixth first-inning run in their last five games. Presumably tired of driving in runs the old-fashioned way, the freshman phenom showed off his plate discipline drawing both of his club’s bases loaded walks. He now has 10 hits and seven RBIs in his last five contests.

It was not until Maynard’s ninth inning double that Maryland recorded a hit with a runner in scoring position. They went 1-11 on the day (0-7 in the first eight innings) and 4-20 (.200) with runners on base. After leaving a season-high 14 runners on base Sunday, they stranded 12 today.

Maryland’s Cameron Enck (0-1) picked up the loss in his first career appearance as a starter, while Blue Hen sophomore Matt Hornich (1-0) earned the first win of his career.

The Terps play a second midweek home game tomorrow – this time a true home game in College Park – at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium against George Washington University (3-8).

Notes: Kevin Smith extended his hitting streak to nine games with his second inning single. Five home runs is the most Maryland has allowed in a game all season; they had given up only six heading into the game. After alternating wins and losses for the season’s first eight games, the Terps won two straight (Tennesse and Southeastern Louisiana) and have now lost two in a row (ECU and Delaware).