Ball State’s DJ Scheumann was yet to have a collegiate at-bat before Saturday’s game against Maryland. After a hit-by-pitch and a flyout in his first two at-bats, the Cardinals freshman took full advantage of his third plate appearance. 

With one runner on base in a tie game, Scheumann crushed a two-run blast over the fence in straight-away center field. His homer gave the Cardinals a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. 

The freshman’s first career hit was the deciding factor on Saturday afternoon. Maryland couldn’t string together a response following Scheumann’s blast, as the Terps fell to Ball State, 5-3, for their first loss of the season.

The Cardinals (2-0) made Terps (1-1) sophomore starter Joey McMannis work for every single out. After the Terps went down in order in the top of the first, the tall right-hander tried to return the favor. McMannis was unable to do so, but the blame wasn’t solely on him.

A leadoff single from Alex Richter led to a wild pitch and base hit, putting Cardinals runners on the corners with one out. Eddie Hacopian then committed a fielding error that brought in the game’s first run.

McMannis then loaded the bases by hitting freshman DJ Scheumann with a pitch. Grad student Clay Jacobs took advantage, bringing home two more runs with a single to right field. The Cardinals led 3-0 after the first inning.

McMannis settled into a rhythm after the rocky first inning. He retired ten straight from the final out of the first through the end of the fourth frame — a span that included four strikeouts.

That fourth inning was McMannis’ final one of the afternoon. He finished the game with a career-high six strikeouts, on 81 pitches. The three first-inning runs McMannis surrendered — all unearned — were the only blemishes on his outing.

After a strong first two innings for Cardinals starter Keegan Johnson, the Terps got on the board in the top of the third. 

Brayden Martin started the small rally with an infield single. Eddie Hacopian then plated the sophomore by doubling to left, making the score 3-1.

Johnson delivered a clean fourth inning, but Maryland struck back in the top of the fifth. Alex Calarco crushed a solo home run to left-center field, putting the Terps within one run. 

Martin then continued his stellar afternoon with a double to left-center, but the Terps were unable to bring him home. Eddie Hacopian grounded into an awkward inning-ending double play that saw Martin get tagged out in a rundown before Eddie Hacopian was also retired while trying to advance to second. 

Senior Omar Melendez was the first reliever to pitch for the Terps. He, like McMannis, dealt with traffic on the basepaths in his first inning of work. But unlike Maryland’s starter, Melendez got out of it unscathed.

Ball State kept Johnson out for the top of the sixth inning, which proved beneficial for the Terps as redshirt sophomore Hollis Porter hit a one-out, opposite field solo home run to tie the game at three. 

Porter’s blast was the first hit of the season by a Maryland transfer, ending a combined 0-for-18 stretch. 

Melendez returned for the bottom of the sixth but immediately surrendered a leadoff single and the ensuing two-run home to Scheumann. 

Melendez put another runner on base via a hit-by-pitch, but he limited the damage after giving up the game-deciding home run.   

The Terps had opportunities to cut into their two-run deficit over the next few innings — particularly but couldn’t cash in. 

Garrett Harker came in to relieve Johnson at the top of the seventh. Johnson finished the day with six innings of three-run-ball, striking out four. He was later credited with the win as well.  

After getting the leadoff man out, Harker walked Calarco and set Elijah Lambros down on strikes. Martin then added to his stellar day with a ground-rule double, which advanced Calarco to third. The sophomore later finished the day, 3-4, with a pair of doubles, a run scored, and a stolen base. 

With Calarco and Martin in scoring position, Eddie Hacopian nearly flipped his tough afternoon. But a deep fly ball to right field stayed in the yard, ending what would be Maryland’s best chance to tie the game.

Freshman Logan Hastings made his first collegiate outing by relieving Melendez in the bottom of the seventh. A highly regarded prospect for the Terps, Hastings pitched a beautiful 1-2-3 inning that included his first career strikeout. He finished the game with two innings of one-hit-ball.

Harker ended up finishing the game for the Cardinals. The Ball State reliever allowed runners to reach first and second in the eighth inning. But with two outs, the senior reliever escaped the jam by forcing Michael Iannazzo to pop out to shortstop.

Harker ended the afternoon and grabbed a nine-out-save — which included five strikeouts — by setting the Terps down in order in the ninth.

The Terps will look to rebound tonight against Mercyhurst in the final game of the Swig & Swine College Classic. The first pitch for that contest is at 7 pm.