After a relatively quiet start for the Dirty Terps offense against the Georgetown Hoyas, a double from promising freshman Ty Kaunas drove in two runs. What felt like a shakeup became an earthquake when Ryan Costello blasted a two-run homer off Georgetown’s Marshall Whitmer. All of a sudden, the Dirty Terps had a four-run lead.

Maryland’s offense continued to pour it on the rest of the way, consistently taking advantage of fielding mishaps from the Hoyas. The end result was a dominant 16-3 win for Maryland (3-1), giving the fans at “The Bob” a lot to cheer for in the team’s home opener against Georgetown (1-3).

“I was actually surprised about the crowd today,” Terps head coach Matt Swope said. “It means a lot to me having gone [to Maryland] as well, and hopefully we keep putting out a good product.”

Landon Edwards got off on the right foot in his first start for the Terps. He struck out Dylan Larkins and kept the bases clear in the top of the first inning. The Dirty Terps’ offense took advantage in the next half inning.

The Dirty Terps wasted no time getting the offense rolling against Georgetown.

Brayden Martin slammed a ball deep to right field that right fielder Ashton Seymore couldn’t catch, getting him to third base to lead off the bottom of the first. Ty Kaunas came to the box right after and flashed his potential, getting Martin to home plate on a double to left center. 

“I mean, he’s just unflappable. He’s one of those guys that just is early every day. Nothing fazes him,” Swope said of Kaunas, who batted in four total runs on the day. “He’s such a great kid and definitely made our defense and offense better.”

Georgetown’s Connor Hendrix prevented Kaunas from advancing further, but the Terps still held a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd. 

The Hoyas’ offense responded right after.

Jeremy Sheffield got Georgetown’s first hit of the game, continuing his hot start to the season. He advanced the bases, and a sacrifice fly from Connor Price would get him home from third. Seymore immediately followed that up with a homer that gave the Hoyas a 2-1 lead.

Maryland’s offense struggled to convert over the next few innings, leaving two runners stranded on the bases across the second and third innings.

Brayden Ryan replaced Edwards on the mound in the fourth inning. 

The junior kept the bases clean in the frame, logging his first strikeout of the year against Ashton Gilio. In the next frame, the Terps’ offense finally got going again.

Rylen Stockton singled to left field, but ended up getting to second after the ball got through Travis Illitch’s glove. Despite the Hoyas summoning Andrew Jergins to the mound, the Terps continued to advance down the bases on a single from Paul Jones II. 

With Stockton at third, the Terps had their best scoring opportunity since the first inning.

Jackson Sirois cashed in after reaching first on a fielder’s choice, tying the game 2-2. After tying the game, momentum continued to swing Maryland’s way when they once again kept the Hoyas off the basepath in the top of the fifth.

After Kaunas and Costello’s scoring plays, Georgetown made another pitching change. It wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. 

Maryland quickly loaded the bases and Morales walked in a run. Right after, David Mendez lined one out to left field and Georgetown’s Travis Illitch couldn’t make the catch. The bases cleared out. By the end of the inning, the Terps had taken an 11-2 lead to blow the game wide open.

“We started off slow, but starting in the fourth and fifth inning we really turned it on,” Kaunas said after the game. “We just had to stack quality at bats, and that’s what we did.”

The Hoyas seemed deflated after their disastrous half inning, leading to another no-hit inning for their offense. Andrew Citron assumed the mound for Georgetown and initially struggled, giving up two walks and a hit-by-pitch. He eventually got himself out of the jam to finish the sixth inning.

After another fruitless inning for the Hoyas’ offense, Maryland continued to pour it on. Antonio Morales homered off Jack Mullen to make it a 10-run lead. The Hoyas declined to end the game via mercy rule, leading to the Terps driving in an extra pair of runs. The Terps led 14-2 by the start of the eighth inning.

James Gladden came onto the mound for Maryland, striking out the side to give Maryland’s offense one last chance to flex its muscle. They drove in two more runs, taking a gargantuan 14-run lead. Though Georgetown scored a consolation run in the top of the ninth, it wouldn’t diminish an incredible performance for the fans at “The Bob” to witness.

With a productive midweek in the books, Maryland will travel down to Lafayette for three games with Louisiana this weekend. First pitch for game one is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. Ryan Martin will be on the call for MBN here.