Paul Jones II got Maryland on the board with an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth, bringing Brayden Martin home and cutting into UNC-Wilmington’s lead. 

The Terps had more in the tank for that half inning, with Rylen Stockton and Ryan Costello coming to the plate. Stockton walked on six pitches, setting the table with runners on first and second for Costello. The LSU transfer crushed a ball to right field for his first home run, bringing Maryland within two runs.

But the Terps’ four-run inning still had them behind the Seahawks after six.

Maryland (1-1) dropped its first game of 2025 against UNC-Wilmington (1-1) on Saturday, with the Seahawks holding onto an 8-4 win despite the Dirty Terps’ comeback effort.

The game seemed like it might be a pitcher’s duel early on, with Maryland starter Nic Morlang and UNC-Wilmington righty each tossing a pair of scoreless frames to open the afternoon.

Despite Aden Hill picking up the Terps’ first hit of the day in the top of the third, Allen held Maryland off the scoreboard again and paved the way for his offense to get going in Wilmington.

The Seahawks cashed in during the third inning. 

Morlang’s command declined the second time through the order, leading to three walks and a single. A bases-loaded walk to John Newton gave UNC-Wilmington its first lead since the second inning Friday.

That one-run third ended Morlang’s collegiate debut. He finished with three innings of one-run ball, walking three and striking out four. The second time through the order challenged Maryland’s freshman. In the first two innings, Morlang had five whiffs on 32 pitches. The third inning did not follow the early trend with three walks and just two whiffs on 28 pitches.

Brayden Martin did his best to get the run right back in the fourth, hitting a single up the middle and immediately stealing second. Then, a productive Ty Kaunas out advanced Martin to third, giving Maryland its best chance to score up to that point. But Allen forced an inning-ending groundout from Ryan Costello to keep the Terps scoreless.

Joe Fredericks took over for Morlang in the bottom of the fourth inning. His season debut ended after just two outs. Fredericks allowed two runs on two walks and a double. The Seahawks ran all over the bases behind him, swiping second and third to set up the RBI double that made it 3-0.

Andrew Koshy relieved Fredericks as Maryland looked to get out of the fourth inning. Koshy allowed a walk to the first batter he faced, but quickly bounced back, getting John Newton to strike out swinging for the final out of the inning.

But the Seahawks kept coming.

After Maryland went scoreless in the top of the fifth, Koshy recorded two outs in the bottom of half of the inning before UNC-Wilmington capitalized. The right-hander allowed four straight baserunners and three RBI hits to the outfield. The Terps’ deficit doubled as a result, making it a 6-0 game.

To the Terps’ relief, UNC-Wilmington took Allen out ahead of the top of the sixth. Allen authored five scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits and striking out five Maryland hitters on 77 pitches. 

David Mendez got his first hit of the season off new reliever Trey Williford. A fielder’s choice, another single and a stolen base set the Terps up with runners on first and third with just one out, leading to Maryland’s four-run sixth inning.

Ryan Bailey entered in relief and posted the scoreless inning Maryland needed to get the bats back up. The debut of Bud Coombs ended prematurely after the freshman recorded his first career double. Jordan Crosland pinch ran for Coombs at second and the Terps failed to convert and bring him home.

Bailey kept Maryland in the game with another perfect inning to send the game to the eighth inning. The Terps had a rally going early with a single from Jones and another walk for Stockton. A wild pitch put both into scoring position, creating Maryland’s best opportunity to tie the game. 

The Seahawks escaped trouble by striking out Aden Hill to end the inning.

UNC-Wilmington pulled away in the eighth inning with two more runs to seal the win in the middle game of this season-opening series.

Maryland will look to win their season opening series in the final game of the doubleheader. Daniel Stein will be on the call for Maryland Baseball Network at 4:50 p.m.