Maryland welcomed another new Big Ten foe to “The Bob” on Saturday afternoon, in the form of No. 15 Oregon. But the Dirty Terps’ old pitfalls reappeared once more. 

As usual, Terps starter Kyle McCoy was a dominant force on the mound, holding the Ducks to three runs through seven innings. That was enough for Maryland to carry a narrow lead into the ninth, but the bullpen couldn’t get the Terps across the line.

Oregon scored a pair of runs in the ninth, snatching a 5-4 win from Maryland in the series opener.

Maryland (15-20, 3-10 Big Ten) was given a pair of chances to take the lead after the Ducks’ (23-9, 11-5 Big Ten) offense went silent for the first two innings. But Oregon’s left-handed starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell held the Terps scoreless for each of the first two frames. 

It wasn’t until the third that Oregon grabbed the game’s first lead. 

Designated hitter Dominic Hellman socked a double into the right-center gap, plating leadoff man Mason Neville. Hellman later came around to score on a high-chopping groundout.   

Grinsell went into the bottom of the third with a 2-0 lead, but it didn’t stop Maryland from responding.

Liam Willson, who’s been in and out of the lineup recently, went from first to home on an Eddie Hacopian double. That run cut Oregon’s lead in half, though, it was all the Terps could manage in the inning. 

In the fourth, Maryland starter Kyle McCoy was still finding his groove when Oregon’s Drew Smith hit a solo home run to center field — just his second blast of the season. That run extended Oregon’s lead back to two for the second time on Saturday. 

Maryland had chances to get another run on the board, repeatedly getting guys on base via walks. But the Terps couldn’t push any of their free passes across. 

Light rain started falling during the fifth, but McCoy seemingly got better. 

Maryland’s ace set the Ducks down in order in the fifth, before showing off some athleticism in the following inning. McCoy got the first out of the sixth by rotating off the mound, and covering for Eddie Hacopian as the pair recorded a 3-1 putout to retire Jacob Walsh.

Following that play, McCoy got a more traditional groundout to Chris Hacopian. The right-hander then struck out Anson Aroz for the third time to close out the top of the sixth.   

Maryland’s offense went quiet in the fourth and fifth, but the wheels started rolling again in the sixth. 

Aden Hill lined a 386-foot home run to right field, shortening the gap back to one.

The seventh was another triumphant inning for McCoy. 

Oregon attempted to extend its lead after going two innings without scoring. But Carter Garate came up empty on a suicide squeeze attempt, forcing Smith — the runner at third — into a rundown. Maryland’s composed defensive play kept Smith from scoring, as McCoy ultimately escaped a jam in his final inning of work.

“You know what you are gonna get with Kyle,” head coach Matt Swope said. “He’s an ultra competitor and I think he showed that again today.”

Eddie Hacopian soon rewarded his starter by hitting a game-tying solo home run to right center. The blast seemingly shifted the game’s tide after Maryland had been playing from behind since the third inning.

Going into the eighth, right-handed reliever Cristofer Cespedes took over for McCoy. With a scoreless frame, Cespedes extended McCoy’s streak of not allowing any Oregon runs from the fourth inning on. 

In the bottom of the eighth, Calarco flew out to left field in what everyone in the stands thought would be a home run off the bat. Aroz secured the putout right against the left field fence, but one batter later, the Terps finally took the lead. 

Jacob Orr stepped up to the plate and launched a home run to left center field — a blast that was just out of the reach of a leaping Aroz. 

The Terps were just three outs away from what would’ve been a landmark win over a ranked conference opponent. But as has been the theme this year, the Terps couldn’t close.

Oregon broke its four-inning-long offensive silence and scored two runs, retaking the lead for good. Both of those runs were scored off of Cespedes, who was attempting his first career save.

“He’ll learn from it — the process, the feelings, and the thoughts of what went into the ninth inning compared to the eighth,” Swope said.  

Maryland was left with half of an inning to respond, but couldn’t acquire its previous rhythm, going down in order to end the game. 

The Terps still have a chance at a series victory tomorrow, but it’ll require a herculean effort as they’ll need to sweep Sunday’s doubleheader.

First pitch for game one is set for noon, with Tyler Lochte and Ryan Martin on the call for MBN. The second contest will start 45 minutes after the end of game one; Daniel Stein will join Lochte for that call.