Series victories have evaded Maryland at every hurdle this season, specifically in Big Ten play.

After winning the early leg of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Terps had an opportunity to change that narrative in the late afternoon rubber match against No. 15 Oregon. 

The contest saw a promising start for the Dirty Terps, but that positivity quickly evaporated as the Ducks’ offense jumped Maryland’s bullpen in the middle innings. The West Coast visitors then poured it on with a four-spot in the ninth, dealing the Terps a 13-3 loss.

Maryland (16-21, 4-11 Big Ten), now at the halfway point in its Big Ten slate, is still yet to win a conference series.

The Terps’ optimistic start came off the bat of Hollis Porter. Maryland’s designated hitter lined a 2-RBI base hit to right field in the first inning, giving the home side an early cushion.

Sophomore right-hander Joey McMannis held the Terps’ lead in place for the first two innings, but that’s all he was allotted. Head coach Matt Swope turned to Jake Yeager to start the third inning, and the freshman immediately ran into trouble. 

Yeager faced four batters and recorded just one out. He also surrendered a run on an RBI base hit to senior Jacob Walsh. The Oregon (24-10, 12-6 Big Ten) first baseman later came across to score on a walk by Devin Milberg. 

Each side traded runs in the fourth inning as Maryland and Oregon opened the fifth inning in a 3-3 tie. That changed abruptly. 

With two outs and a pair of runners on base, reliever Andrew Koshy surrendered a three-run blast to Mason Neville, Oregon’s leading home run hitter. 

A throwing error by Chris Hacopian then allowed Walsh to add on in emphatic fashion. The senior slugged a two-run homer that gave Oregon an 8-3 lead, making any hope Maryland had of a comeback extremely bleak. 

On the other side, Oregon starter Jason Reitz settled in after the early trouble. He dealt for 7 innings, striking out 11 batters while walking just one. Reitz also tallied more strikeouts than combined groundouts and flyouts (10).

Drew Smith added a ninth run for Oregon with an RBI single in the sixth inning, before the Ducks broke through for a further four runs in the game’s final frame. 

The Terps hit the road for their lone midweek. They face Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Tyler Locte and Jack Bowman will have the call of that contest for MBN.