The Maryland Terrapins have earned the nickname “Cardiac Terps” because of their ability to thrive in chaos. In the opening game of Friday’s doubleheader, disarray led to a 10-inning, 6-5 loss at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium to Penn State, ending the team’s hopes of sneaking into the Big Ten Tournament. 

Both team’s coaches had jarred at the umpires on numerous occasions in the game. With two strikes and one out in the 10th, Penn State’s Tayven Kelley barely got his bat to a ball, which head coach Matt Swope thought catcher Devin Russell caught and should be ruled a strikeout. Kelley ensued to rip a double, putting runners on second and third with one out, leading Swope to make a pitching change. As he walked to the mound, the first-year coach continued to make his feelings known and was promptly ejected. 

The following play was a ground ball to third baseman Chris Hacopian. While Hacopian had a chance to throw the runner out at the plate, an off-target throw meant Penn State’s Kevin Michaels scored the go-ahead run. 

Maryland loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but Penn State’s Mason Horwat struck out Devin Russell to end the game. 

Penn State loaded the bases before an out was recorded in the first. The Nittany Lions scored their first run after a pitch in the dirt bounced away from Russell, with a second player crossing home plate on a fielder’s choice moments later. 

Sam Hojnar cut the Maryland deficit to one with an opposite-field home run in the second. In the next inning, he clubbed a low line drive to second base, which Michaels was unable to corral. Brayden Martin scored on the error, tying the score at two. 

Each team clubbed a solo shot one over the fence in the fourth inning and in the top of the fifth, Penn State added a run on another fielder’s choice to give the Nittany Lions a 4-3 lead.

Once again, Hojnar came through for the Terps.  Eddie Hacopian was on second base with one out in the bottom of the fifth when Hojnar crushed his team-leading 16th home run of the season, giving Maryland a 5-4 lead. 

After providing much of Maryland’s offense early in the game, Hojnar committed a two-out throwing error that allowed Michaels to score from second base and tie the game.

Koester was removed after the error, finishing the day with five strikeouts and five runs (four earned) over 108 pitches, his second-highest total of the season. Kenny Lippman got the final out of the seventh inning and remained unscathed through the ninth. 

He was not as fortunate in the tenth inning. The inning started with Lippman hitting a batter before Kelley’s double. Logan Berrier was brought in to escape the jam but was unlucky to not be able to do so. 

The second game of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at approximately 4:55 p.m.