Maryland baseball scores season-high in runs with emphatic, 23-11 victory over Towson in 8 innings

Maryland Baseball vs. Towson APR 15

Three weeks ago, Maryland baseball defeated Towson, 15-7, aided by five Terps drawing walks in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded. In Tuesday’s contest, Maryland’s offense again stayed patient when necessary, recording six runs — a quarter of its overall scoring — via walks.

Maryland dominated Towson, 23-11, on Tuesday at Brooks Robinson Field in the second matchup between the two squads. The eight-inning victory marked the Terps’ highest-scoring game this season.

Maryland led the Big Ten in walks with 294 entering Tuesday’s contest and quickly expanded that lead. After two grounders in the top of the first, redshirt freshman Ryan Costello and junior David Mendez earned walks before sophomore Paul Jones II was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Then, freshman Bud Coombs launched his fifth home run of the season over the right field fence, notching his first collegiate grand slam.

The Terps collected six more runs in the top of the second inning, the first of which came off of three straight walks that ended Towson starter Jake Michel’s day.

Towson left-hander Vincent Salvo took the mound and only threw four pitches to Costello before the redshirt freshman blasted his 15th home run and fourth grand slam of the season. Three pitches later, Mendez smashed his ninth homer of the season.

That gave the Terps a 10-run lead heading into the bottom of the second — but there, Towson cut the deficit in half.

Back-to-back singles and a fly out led to Max D’Alessandro stealing second as Keldrin Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch. D’Alessandro came home off a single by Frank Adamski Jr., who soon advanced to second on an error by center fielder Nate Hawton-Henley. AJ Kolb then knocked a two-run single before stealing second.

After a single to left placed runners on the corners once again, a single to right by Nich Francuzenko brought in the Tigers’ fifth run of the frame. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Bailey entered the game and finally closed out the inning for Maryland.

The run fest continued, though. Towson’s third pitcher, Ben Nugent, walked three straight batters to load the bases. Costello hit a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home Devin Russell, and Jones knocked in another run to make the score 12-5.

Bailey held strong on the mound in the third inning but allowed a two-run RBI double to right center by Brady Nathison in the fourth. The Terps immediately responded with their 13th run following a bases-loaded balk by right-hander Nick Karls.