Maryland catcher Alex Calarco hit just four home runs in 2024; he socked three on Saturday. 

After launching a solo home run in the Terps’ first game of the day, Calarco doubled his tally in Saturday’s nightcap against Mercyhurst — and he did so in grand fashion. The senior launched a monstrous grand slam to center field in the fifth inning before adding a three-run blast to his electric evening in the following frame. 

Calarco’s two homers led an offensive blitz on Saturday night, as Maryland ambushed Mercyhurst pitching in a 19-1 victory over the Lakers in the final game of the Swig & Swine College Classic.   

The win also marked Calarco’s first ever multi-homer game on a day where he impressively spent 17 innings behind the dish.      

Neither offense found success in the game’s opening frame, but the Lakers (0-3) turned to fundamentals in the top of the second. Freshman Zach Black drew a leadoff walk before a balk and sacrifice bunt put Maryland (2-1) starter Evan Smith under early pressure. 

But with Black just 90 feet away from home, Smith found his command. The sophomore lefty grabbed back-to-back swinging strikeouts to escape the minor jam.   

Punchouts unsurprisingly became a theme of Smith’s outing on Saturday night. Facing a Mercyhurst lineup that accumulated 22 strikeouts across its first two games of the season, the Terps starter recorded six strikeouts in four innings. Smith later got credited with the win.

Smith’s second-inning escapability loomed large in the bottom of the frame when fellow sophomore Jordan Crossland socked a solo home run over the left-center field fence.

Crossland’s blast put Maryland on the board first, which the Terps had failed to do in each of their previous two games. But that lead didn’t last long. 

Lakers leadoff man Eric Chorba laced a one-out double to straightaway centerfield in the top of the third. Two-hole hitter Ranciel Ventura then ripped a line drive to center field — a hit that rolled all the way to fence for an RBI triple that tied the score at one.

Ventura’s knock put Smith in another ‘man-on-third with one out’ predicament. But as he’d done in the previous frame, Smith got a pair of strikeouts to strand the runner at third.     

While Smith racked up the punchouts, Mercyhurst starter Brandon Arnold did the same. Arnold similarly fanned six batters in 3.1 innings of work, but the graduate student ran into error-filled trouble with one gone in the fourth.

With swirling winds driving light mists around Shipyard Park, Alex Calarco sent a fly ball to deep center field. Lakers senior Joey Trivisonno dropped the ball as he tried to track it down, allowing Calarco to reach second. 

Elijah Lambros, the next batter, then dropped a fieldable bunt to Arnold, who sailed a throw to first. Calarco reached home with ease, while Lambros galloped to third; those extra bases were significant because Brayden Martin served an RBI base hit to left field just two pitches later. 

But Maryland’s two-run fourth inning was just a precursor to the onslaught that would soon ensue.

The Terps scored 11 runs in the fifth and sixth innings — seven of those coming off the bat of Calraco. 

Chris Hacopian added a two-RBI double to complement Calarco’s grand slam in the fifth inning. Older brother Eddie Hacopian then knocked an RBI double of his own in the sixth before Hollis Porter put Maryland at 14 runs on the evening with an RBI single.

The Terps would later add five more runs in the eighth inning.  

Infielder Paul Jones II plated fellow freshmen Parker Corbin and Aidan Driscoll with a 2-RBI single — Jones II’s first career knock. Three more runs then came around to score after Michael Iannazzo skied a fly ball to left field that was ultimately dropped; it was the Lakers’ sixth, and final, error of the night.  

Reliever Jack Wren held the Lakers offense scoreless, while the Terps built their massive lead. In his first Maryland outing, the Marist grad transfer fanned six hitters in three innings while giving up just one hit.               

Graduate reliever Devin Milburg handled the final two innings for Maryland. Milburg, a Dartmouth transfer, fanned five batters over that span as he locked down Maryland’s comfortable victory.  

The Dirty Terps will hope to carry the momentum from Saturday night’s win into Tuesday’s matchup against Delaware. First pitch for the home-opening midweek is scheduled for 4 p.m.; Jack Susanin and Daniel Stein will be on the headset for Maryland Baseball Network.