Heading into the seventh inning of action in the series finale between Iowa and Maryland, neither team was able to establish a true edge. Both teams had a few offensive opportunities that they couldn’t fully capitalize on, with Maryland clinging to a 5-4 lead.

This would all change in minutes. Five separate Terps would tally an RBI throughout the top of the seventh as Iowa’s bullpen collapsed. Three pitching changes would be all for not as Maryland loaded the bases multiple times. The Terps (19-21, 5-13) scored seven runs in the inning, laying the groundwork for a 16-5 run rule win against the Hawkeyes (21-16, 7-11).

The series finale began with something Maryland has had difficulty overcoming in this series: sluggish offense. Jordan Crosland flied out on the first pitch, and the Terps failed to reach base in the half inning, except for one walk. The Terps entered game three without having an extra base hit in the series so far.

Upon Iowa’s entrance into the box, senior Gable Mitchell, who had been productive with his bat throughout the series, bunted into the Hawkeyes’ first hit of the day. A walk drawn by Caleb Wulf would quickly see the Hawkeyes with an opportunity.

Redshirt freshman Carter Geffre had taken advantage of plenty of opportunities throughout the series, with five RBIs scored in Saturday’s doubleheader. He added to his tally when he drove Mitchell home from second base, giving the Hawkeyes an early lead.

Despite falling into an early hole, the Terps offense couldn’t muster an immediate response. Though Paul Jones II made his way to second with a walk and wild pitch, the Terps still had zero hits or runs ,midway through the second.

While Maryland’s offense wasn’t off to the hottest start, right-hander Brayden Ryan was able to keep them in it. He collected the second strikeout of his day against Joey Nerat to open the inning, and forced a quick 1-2-3 that got the Dirty Terps’ offense back on.

Despite Crosland finally recording the Terps their first hit, and a couple of walks setting them up nicely, the Terps would fail to capitalize. Ryan Costello blasted a ball to right field that only avoided being a home run due to harsh winds, and a third out ended the inning shortly after.

The slow, defensive back-and-forth between the two teams continued. Mitchell nearly made it home for the second time in the next half-inning, but was stymied at third. It was in the next frame when Maryland’s offense finally got on the board.

David Mendez launched a triple to right field, putting Maryland 90 feet away from tying the game with only one out. Nate Hawton-Henley would convert on the chance, getting Mendez home and tying the game at one run.

Maryland’s run of momentum would continue when they got Iowa’s first two batters out quickly in the bottom of the fourth, and Ryan ended the inning with his third strikeout of the day. 

Iowa sent righty Beau Leisure onto the mound in relief of righty Logan Runde to start the fifth inning, but the change was less effective than the Hawkeyes hoped. After a beanball and a single, freshman Ty Kaunas walked to load the bases.

A single from Jones II opened the floodgates, bringing Crosland and Brayden Martin home from scoring position. The run continued when Mendez hit a double to left, bringing home Jones II and Kaunas and opening up a 5-1 lead for the Terps.

After Maryland’s offensive breakthrough, Ryan was resting on a much more comfortable cushion entering his fifth inning of action. However, as often happens in baseball, things changed quickly.

Ben Swails got the Hawkeyes’ counterattack going with a double, and he was joined by Kooper Schulte after he walked. Mitchell made his presence known again, hitting a single to get Swails home and cutting into Maryland’s lead.

Iowa’s offensive wave only grew when Miles Risley hit a single in the next at bat. Schulte and Mitchell, both now in scoring position, were free to make the trip home. All of a sudden, the score was 5-4 with Maryland holding onto the lead for dear life.

As expected, the inning would be Ryan’s last mound work of the game. On the other hand, Iowa’s next man out of the bullpen was righty Jaron Bleeker, who forced a 1-2-3 inning from the Terps. He started his day with two straight strikeouts.

Sophomore righty Lance Williams would take the mound for the Terps, tasked with weathering the storm and putting the Terps back on the front foot. Things didn’t go too well initially, with the Hawkeyes eventually loading the bases. 

Faced with the biggest opportunity of the game for Iowa, Williams shut it down. A strikeout on Schulte and a groundout from Mitchell forced the Hawkeyes to leave the inning empty-handed.

After Maryland’s offensive burst in the seventh inning, Iowa didn’t have much left in the tank. Though Risley would score a consolation run for the Hawkeyes, that was the extent of their production in the inning.

Midway through the eighth inning, the Terps offense found one more burst in them. With two runners in scoring position, Crosland and Martin would serve up consecutive sacrifice flies, bringing across a run each. After that, a triple from Kaunas brought Costello and Colin Gibbs home, putting them in run-rule territory.

All it took was one final strikeout from Williams and a couple of flyouts to put the game to bed, ending the Terps’ series with Iowa on a high note with their first conference win on the road so far this year.

The Dirty Terps’ next action will come on Tuesday, when they continue their road trip facing in-state rival Mount St. Mary’s. Tune into MBN’s broadcast for first pitch at 3:00 p.m. where Ryan Martin and Owen Korzak will be on the call.