Maryland falls to DBU, 5-2, drop series

Taylor Lyons Game Recaps

(RECAP COURTESY OF MARYLAND ATHLETICS)

DALLAS, TX – No. 22 Maryland baseball fell to Dallas Baptist, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match-up between two top-15 RPI teams at Horner Ballpark. The Patriots (15-8), the No. 1-rated team in the RPI, captured two of three games in the series as Maryland (18-5) lost its first weekend series in nearly a year. 

Maxwell Costes and Kevin Keister accounted for the Terps’ two runs with solo home runs. Luke Shliger went 3-for-4 to lead the Terps in hits. Maryland loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning with the go-ahead run at the plate, but Chris Alleyne lined out to finish the game. 

On the mound, Jason Savacool threw six innings, allowing eight hits and five runs, four earned. 

Breaking Down The Action

  • Costes got the scoring started with a solo home run in the second inning, giving the Terps the lead for the third time in as many games against the Patriots.  
  • The Patriots got two runs back in the third inning on an RBI triple from Jace Grady and a subsequent RBI groundout from Andrew Benefield.
  • Dallas Baptist added a run in the fourth inning on a Grady RBI single to make it 3-1. 
  • The hosts tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning on a Nate Rombach solo home run and a Benefield run-scoring single to bring home Grady, making it 5-1.
  • Keith Keister’s two-run homer in the seventh, cut the Terps’ deficit to 5-2. 
  • Maryland rallied in the top of the ninth as Bobby Zmarzlak and Luke Shliger walked and Sean Lane singled bringing Chris Alleyne to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. But The Terps weren’t able to finish the comeback.  

Costes Crushing It

  • Costes’s home run was his ninth of the year and 33rd of his career, moving him into sole possession of third place all-time in Maryland baseball history for career home runs. 
  • The senior from Baltimore now only trails Paul Schagler with 43 from 1984-87 and Will Frazier with 34 from 2002-05 on Maryland’s all-time list. 

Notable Numbers

  • 2: Keister hit his second home run of the season in the seventh.
  • 5: Shliger has hits in five games in a row and is hitting 11-of-22 (.500) over that span. 
  • 6: Savacool has thrown at least six innings in every start this season. 
  • 9: Nick Lorusso extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single in the eighth. 
  • 9: Costes leads the Terps with nine home runs, he also now has 23 RBIs, second on the team.  

Up Next

  • The Terps return home to College Park and welcome the Towson Tigers to Bob ‘Turtle’ Smith Stadium on March 29, at 4 p.m. 
  • The game will be broadcast on B1G+ and the Maryland Baseball Network.