A disappointing season for the Terps ended fittingly, as Maryland (34-22) dropped the second game of a doubleheader to Penn State (26-23), 19-6, at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium on Friday night.

Maryland entered Friday’s doubleheader with an outside chance of claiming the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. An extra-innings loss in the first game of the day eliminated any sliver of hope Maryland had of stealing a spot in Omaha, Nebraska, the first time the Terps have missed the tournament since 2018. 

This series marks the first time Maryland has ever been swept by Penn State and the first time Maryland has been swept at home by a conference opponent since 2019. 

“It’s painful, I don’t know if I’ve been here where we haven’t made the Big 10 Tournament,” head coach Matt Swope said. “Definitely not the standard. … As a competitor it beats me up.”

Brayden Martin has had an eventful freshman season. He was an Opening Day starter, had multiple walk-off hits, and ascended into the team’s leadoff hitter. What he had yet to do was hit a college home run.

In the bottom of the first inning of his 55th game for the Terps, Martin launched a 3-2 pitch over the left field fence. 

“They teased him all the time,” Swope said. “He’s definitely someone who needs to get stronger and I think can really be dynamic next year at the top of the order.”

Penn State took a lead on a two-run homer from Kelly Michaels in the top of the third. In the bottom of the same inning, junior Eddie Hacopian hit a three-run bomb over the left field fence to give Maryland a 4-2 advantage.  

Even with the momentum of Hacopian’s homer, Maryland lost control of the game in the fourth inning. Despite only recording one hit in the frame, the Nittany Lions took a 6-4 lead. After a leadoff single, Maryland walked or hit the next five batters before recording an out. A sacrifice fly from J.T. Marr was the lone run to come through a ball in play. 

Freshman Evan Smith, the starting pitcher, was relieved with the score tied at four and the bases loaded with no outs for Andrew Johnson. Smith was charged with six runs and four hits and struck out three batters. 

Johnson went untouched for three innings, but in the seventh allowed the bases to load before being removed for Nate Haberthier. By the time the inning ended, Penn State’s advantage had grown to 10-4. 

Ben Nardi added a run via a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, slicing the deficit to five runs. The Terps loaded the bases for Sam Hojnar, the team leader in home runs, in the inning. He struck out swinging, ending Maryland’s final offensive threat of the season. 

Maryland had earned its “Cardiac Terps” nickname by dominating late in games, outscoring opponents by more than 30 runs in the eighth inning or later entering Friday. In the last two innings of their season, a defeated Maryland squad allowed Penn State to punch in an extra nine runs. 

If there is any silver lining, it came in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Hacopian hit his second home run of the game, one of two runs the Terps scored in the final inning. 

“It’s devastating, you hate for the seniors to go out like that, but true to fashion, they battled until the last out,” Swope said.

Until next spring, when the Terps return to the field again.