Nate Hawton-Henley entered the batter’s box in a crucial moment of Maryland baseball’s contest against the Navy Midshipmen. The game was tied at one run, but the bases were loaded, giving him the opportunity to blow the game wide open.

He did just that. Hawton-Henley launched a ball deep to left field, logging his first home run as a Terp in emphatic fashion. Maryland (15-18) would build on its four-run lead for the rest of the game, riding the offensive momentum to a 15-2 victory over Navy (18-12), starting a winning streak.

Maryland’s first inning at bat gave Navy pitcher Ian Brown a little more than he bargained for, with all three batters he faced working the count full. Despite their efforts, none of the three were able to get on base.

Jake Yeager took the mound in the bottom of the first, looking to bounce back after a streak of quick exits in his last three outings, including two straight starts giving up 6 earned runs. He got his first strikeout against Victor Izquierdo, and despite the Midshipmen getting runners at the corners, he made it out of the inning unscathed.

The Terps offense would not capitalize on Yeager’s escape, going down 1-2-3 for the second time. The Midshipmen entered the game with a 3.40 team ERA, easily the best in the Patriot League and top 10 in the country. It was never going to be a cakewalk for Maryland to score and the Midshipmen backed that up early.

Things only got more difficult for the Terps in the bottom of the second. 

A throwing error from Yeager advanced Navy’s Chris Klug to first base, where he subsequently stole second and reached third on a wild pitch. A groundout from Jake Hooten gave Klug the chance to reach home, and the Terps were suddenly behind.

Though Yeager got out of the inning without any further damage, it was clear the Terps offense needed to find their rhythm. Hawton-Henley got Maryland’s first hit of the day, and Ian Brown’s own throwing error got two Terps in scoring position.

The Dirty Terps cashed in, with Hawton-Henley making it home off a sacrifice fly from Jordan Crosland. Though Navy escaped the inning with two runners stranded, Maryland continued building momentum on defense with no hits allowed in the bottom of the third.

The Terps offense hit its stride in the fourth inning, with early hits from Ty Kaunas and Paul Jones II, plus a David Mendez walk to load the bases and set up Hawton-Henley’s slam.

After Hawton-Henley’s game-changing play, the Terps would keep rolling as Colin Gibbs advanced to home on a throwing error, giving Maryland a 6-1 lead. The Midshipmen hastily made a pitching change, sending Sachin Gopal onto the mound.

Though Gopal would get Navy out of the inning without any further damage, Yeager entered the bottom of the fourth with plenty of insurance. He took advantage of this cushion, striking out three batters to get Maryland’s offense back in the box.

Maryland’s offense continued its winning streak, getting its total hits up to eight in the inning. A dropped ball in Navy’s outfield allowed Rylen Stockton to get home from third, the Dirty Terps’ seventh run of the game. 

After two comfortable innings for Yeager, two quick hits in the bottom of the fifth got him into a jam. Despite Noah Stead advancing to third, Yeager managed to get outs from the next three batters to prevent Navy from making any dent in their lead.

Jordan Crosland got the Terps off to a fast start in the 6th inning, quickly advancing to third before Ryan Costello brought him home on Maryland’s second sacrifice fly of the gam

Entering the bottom of the inning, Yeager’s day ended with him logging five strikeouts in as many innings. Andrew Koshy took the mound, and despite allowing the first two batters on base, made up for it with two strikeouts and eventually escaping the inning with no damage.

Navy’s bullpen struggles continued upon Ryan Bibb’s arrival on the mound, as he quickly found himself with the bases loaded. The Midshipmen were forced to put Spencer Stephens on the mound, who was able to force a groundout from Brayden Ryan and prevent the Terps from getting a second grand slam. 

The Midshipmen grabbed a consolation run in the bottom of the seventh when Tyler Cripe reached home on a wild pitch, but wouldn’t make any more meaningful advancements, with the scoreline at 8-2 at the end of the inning.

Navy’s persistent pitching woes only grew worse in the eighth inning, when the Midshipmen allowed Maryland to load the bases for the third time. Despite two pitching changes in the half inning, nothing could stop the Terps’ offensive onslaught, with the Terps scoring seven runs in the frame. 

After three more outs from Navy’s offense, the two coaches agreed to call the game at eight innings, giving Maryland its second run-rule win of the week and setting them up to potentially leave their weekend series against Indiana with a .500 record. Peter Kelly and Ryan Martin have the call for MBN in Game 1 against the Hoosiers, first pitch set for 6 p.m. Friday.