On Saturday, the Maryland Terrapins pieced together an 11-run third inning in their victory against Rutgers, one of the best single inning performances in program history.

The encore on Sunday: a five-run third inning, marking the second consecutive day Maryland batted around in the third frame. Sunday’s offensive burst was enough to give the Terps a 8-6 win, completing the sweep against the Scarlet Knights.

“When people are playing fearless and people are playing like there’s no tomorrow, they become really dangerous,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “And that’s what you saw out of this group this weekend.”

With two outs and a pair on base, senior designated hitter Will Watson singled up the middle, bringing home AJ Lee. Watson, who set a career-high with eight RBI in Saturday’s game, was once again the catalyst. Then, after a Zach Jancarski walk, senior Justin Morris lined a base hit that trickled to the right field wall after Kevin Blum’s diving attempt came up short. He ended up on third base with a bases clearing triple.

Taylor Wright drove in the fifth, and final, run of the inning with an RBI single.

The Terps tacked on an insurance run the following inning, when Jancarski drove in a run with an infield single.

“Anytime our back is so-to-speak against the wall, for our team to come out and respond the way it did, it says a lot about our character,” Jancarski said.

While Maryland’s offense rallied in the early stages of the contest, its starting pitcher, freshman Mark DiLuia, kept up his end of the deal. The Illinois native allowed a solo home run to Juwaun Harris in the second inning, but then threw three straight scoreless innings while Maryland built its lead.

His solid outing hit a speed bump in the sixth inning. With the rain transforming from a mist to a drizzle, DiLuia allowed the first three Scarlet Knights to reach base (two singles and a walk). While Chris Folinusz’s run-scoring single cut the deficit to five, DiLuia retired the next three Rutgers batters to end the frame.

His day concluded after he threw six innings, allowing two earned runs, six hits, striking out four, and walking just one.

Grant Burleson relieved DiLuia and, after a scoreless seventh inning, struggled in the eighth. The freshman left-hander allowed a one-out single and walk, and then allowed both runners to score on an RBI double by Milo Freeman. Unfortunately for Burleson, Freeman’s at bat only continued because Morris dropped a potentially inning-ending pop-up in foul territory.

Maryland got one of those runs back when Nick Dunn drove in Justin Vought with a double in the right-center field gap.

There was some more drama in the ninth inning. After striking out Folinusz, Vought threw away the dropped third strike, allowing a run to score. Then Harris drove in his second run of the game with an infield single.

Head coach Rob Vaughn then elected to bring in closer John Murphy, with the potential game-tying runs on base. The right-hander hit Carmen Sclafani to begin his afternoon, loading the bases. The next batter, Freeman, endured an eight-pitch at bat that concluded with a deep fly out to right field.

“It felt good just to get out with a win,” Morris said.

With a 9-11 record in the Big Ten, Maryland is just on the fringe of postseason contention. The top eight teams in the conference make the Big Ten tournament, and the Terps are currently ninth. That could change depending on the result of Michigan State’s Sunday contest, which was still being played at the time of the conclusion of Maryland’s game. If the Spartans lose, Maryland would jump into the eighth, and final, postseason spot entering the final weekend.

Vaughn’s team will wrap up the regular season with a three-game set against Indiana, which is currently sixth in the conference.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Maryland Terrapins had a chance to even the score at one. Zach Jancarski and Taylor Wright had just singled back-to-back, and for the first time all afternoon, the Terps had a runner in scoring position.

An unassisted double play off the bat of Justin Morris ended the inning and the Nebraska Cornhuskers answered. In the bottom of the frame, Nebraska rallied for three runs against Taylor Bloom, guiding it to a 5-2 victory and a critical conference series win.

Bloom’s fifth inning woes came after the senior right-hander had one of his better appearances of the season. In his first start since an injury he suffered during batting practice a few weeks ago, Bloom retired the first 10 Huskers he faced. A solo home run by Scott Schreiber in the fourth broke the scoreless tie, but Bloom didn’t really falter until the fifth.

In the sixth inning, Bloom allowed a pair to reach scoring position, but got out of the jam without allowing anymore Cornhusker runs. In all, he threw 103 pitches in seven innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits.

After the Terrapin offense scored 15 runs in Friday’s win and eight runs in the first two innings of Saturday’s contest, it took a step backward to end the series. Maryland failed to score in 15 of the final 16 innings of the series. Both of Maryland’s runs came in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game — one on an RBI single by Morris, the other on a wild pitch.

Maryland’s best chance to break the slump came in the eighth, when a pair of singles by Randy Bednar and Nick Dunn and a peculiar defensive miscue loaded the bases for Kevin Biondic. Facing closer Jake Hohensee, the Terps first baseman lined into an inning-ending double play.

As a team, the Terps finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and just 4-for-19 with runners on base.

Seemingly every time Maryland placed a runner on base, he was erased on a double play. The Terps hit into four double plays on the afternoon, including Biondic’s costly one in the eighth.

With a 6-11 Big Ten record, Maryland’s odds of earning a spot in the conference tournament are rapidly decreasing. The Terps have two more Big Ten series remaining — home against Rutgers and away against Indiana — and trail all but two teams in the standings.

With an 8-1 lead after an inning-and-a-half, it looked as if the Maryland Terrapins were well on their way to a fourth-straight Big Ten win.

But their best starting pitcher, Hunter Parsons, faltered, and the relief core flirted with trouble until it was too late. Seven earned runs against Parsons, followed by a three-run seventh inning against Sean Fisher, gave Nebraska the 17-8 victory, and its largest come-from-behind win of the year.

Maryland’s offense feasted in the first two innings against Nebraska starter Luis Alvarado. After he threw a career-high eight innings in his last start, the senior right-hander could not control his pitches on Saturday. He walked six of the 12 batters he faced, and allowed seven earned runs.

After loading the bases with a pair of walks and a single by Will Watson, Zach Jancarski launched a grand slam over the left field fence to put Maryland ahead 4-0. The blast marked the Terps’ second grand slam in the last week.

After a solo shot by Cornhusker superstar Scott Schreiber (his Big Ten-leading 17th) in the bottom of the first, Maryland put together a second straight four-run inning. Three straight walks chased Alvarado out of the game, and against reliever Nate Fisher, Will Watson and Taylor Wright each drove in a pair.

Once the rally concluded, the Maryland bats went cold for the first time all weekend, and the Huskers were able to chip away. The Terps only had three hits after the second inning, both singles. As a team, Maryland was 0-for-6 with runners on base in the final seven innings, and never advanced a runner into scoring position.

Nebraska scored three in the second to cut the deficit to four. Then, a two-run fifth inning and a three-run seventh gave the Cornhuskers their first lead of the series. They ended scoring 16 consecutive runs

With two outs and one on, it looked as if Fisher would elude further damage for the third straight inning, and keep the Terps clinging to a one-run lead. Then, Nebraska center fielder Jaxon Hallmark belted his first career homer, a two-run shot off the foul pole, to give the home team a 9-8 lead. It tacked on another run on an RBI single by Carter Cross.

The collapse was shocking for the Terps, who have counted on Parsons to give them a reliable outing for the past few months. The junior right-hander hadn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since his season opener.

Nebraska even got to senior Kevin Biondic, Maryland’s most reliable relief pitcher. The senior gave up five runs in the eighth inning, all but sealing the come-from-behind win for the Cornhuskers. The final blow was a two-run homer by Alex Henwood that gave Nebraska its 17th run, the second-most it has scored in a game all year.

The two Big Ten foes will meet in the rubber match on Sunday, a critical meeting, as both teams are just out of the Big Ten tournament race. Maryland will send Taylor Bloom to the hill. The senior will be making his first start since his unfortunate injury, when he was struck by a foul ball in batting practice last month. He did enter as a reliever last weekend against Michigan State.

A dominant Friday performance and a couple of Marty Parties. The Maryland Terrapins’ series-opening 15-7 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers felt a lot more like a 2017 performance — and a much needed one.

Marty Costes was in 2017 form, and with three homers in his last three games, he may be re-shaping the narrative on his 2018 season. Just under a week after his go-ahead grand slam against Michigan State, the Terps left fielder belted a pair of solo home runs, and had a pair of run-scoring base hits.

Costes, who hit a moonshot in Maryland’s most recent trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, rebounded well from his 0-for-4 performance in a midweek meeting with West Virginia. He finished 4-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, an RBI single, and a two-run single on Friday.

The Terps needed someone to step up offensively, as their second-leading hitter, first baseman Kevin Biondic, was not in Nebraska for the game; he was in Chicago taking his Chicago Police Academy test. In his absence, Maryland got contributions from several starters. Five Terps drove in runs, eight scored runs, and a pair hit home runs.

The 15-run total was Maryland’s most of the season, and the first time it has reached double-digits since March 21.

Costes’ two homers bookended a lengthy second inning, during which Randy Bednar drove in a run with a double, and Justin Morris with a sacrifice fly. The Terps’ big offensive outburst came in the seventh.

AJ Lee got the rally started with a double that nearly cleared the fence in left-center field. He scored on a triple by Nick Dunn, who then scored on Costes’ single. Taylor Wright put an exclamation mark on the frame with a three-run homer, giving Maryland a nine-run lead, and plenty of cushion for its bullpen.

Mark DiLuia had a lead for the entire time he was on the hill, and his third career weekend start was arguably his best. The freshman completed six innings for the third straight time, but was more effective with his pitches. He allowed just four hits and two earned runs, walked four and struck out four.

Maryland tacked on four more in the eighth inning with two-run hits from Dunn and Costes.

The Terrapin bullpen struggled, but was not helped out by its defense. Ryan Hill allowed two unearned runs in the seventh after a Costes error. Then, after Hill loaded the bases, Mike Vasturia came in to clean up the mess, and did so without allowing a run.

He didn’t fare as well in the ninth, when he gave up a three-run homer to Luke Roskam. Ultimately, it didn’t have much of an impact, as the Terps held on to win by eight. Alec Tuohy relieved Hill, and recorded the final two outs.

Maryland will send Hunter Parsons to the hill on Saturday, as he looks to bring the team’s conference win streak to a season-best four games. The junior right-hander will face Nebraska’s best pitcher, senior Luis Alvarado.

With his team in the midst of a six-game losing streak, left-handed pitcher Billy Phillips took the mound for his first career start.

He was an unlikely hero, but just the one the Maryland Terrapins so desperately needed, as they rode his four scoreless innings to a 6-1 win against James Madison. It was Maryland’s first win since April 10, also against the Dukes.

“We just want to go out and play a really excellent brand of baseball,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “Our guys rang the bell today and did a great job.”

Phillips retired 12 of the 14 batters he faced, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Neither of the two baserunners made it past first base, and the southpaw lowered his ERA from 8.49 to 6.32.

After Taylor Bloom missed his last two starts — he was struck in the head by a line drive before a game on April 13 — the Terps had to shuffle their starting rotation. Mark DiLuia, their usual midweek starter, pitched over the weekend against Purdue, leaving a vacancy that Phillips filled admirably.

It was his longest appearance of his collegiate career, which has certainly had its peaks and valleys. The redshirt freshman missed his first two seasons of eligibility while he was battling Leukemia.

“There was a good portion of my life where, during that time, we didn’t know if I was ever going to play again,” he said. “At that point it was just a fight for each day. Baseball wasn’t even a thought in my mind at the time.”

Phillips was given run support instantly on Wednesday. After he retired the Dukes in order in the top of the first, his offense put up two runs in the bottom of the frame. Marty Costes’ return to the lineup — following a series-long suspension for violating team rules – began with an infield hit. Then, Kevin Biondic drove a RBI triple into the right field corner. He later scored on an infield hit by Zach Jancarski.

“From the very first pitch, Billy really set the tone,” Jancarski said. “Our offense consistently through nine were tough outs. Guys came up with some big hits. We just played a really clean game today.”

Maryland added to its lead with a trio of homers. The culprits? Freshman Randy Bednar, who hit one in the fourth, a solo shot by Nick Dunn and a two-run homer by Will Watson in the seventh. Dunn’s deep fly over the right field fence was his team-best eighth of the season.

Once Phillips’ duties on the mound concluded, Vaughn turned to a committee of relievers to close Maryland’s fourth midweek win in 2018. Mike Vasturia worked into some trouble, but navigated through two scoreless innings. Freshman Sean Fisher threw a 1-2-3 seventh, Ryan Hill made his season debut with a scoreless eighth, and John Murphy allowed one run, but closed the door in the ninth.

Maryland will look to carry this momentum and reverse its recent Big Ten struggles. It will look to snap a six-game conference losing streak when it travels to East Lansing over the weekend to face Michigan State.