Duke baseball drops two of three to Maryland

The last time Duke split the first two games of a three-game ACC series, the team relied on the 33rd man on its roster to propel the Blue Devils to victory.

Michael Jackson was back at Jack Coombs Field again Sunday for the final game of Duke’s weekend series against Maryland. This time, however, the smooth sounds of the King’s music were unable to help the Blue Devils (25-22, 9-15 in the ACC), as they fell in the final game 4-1 and relinquished the series to the Terrapins (25-21, 8-16).

“I’m incredibly disappointed,” Duke head coach Chris Pollard said. “Ultimately it came down to us making mistakes at some key times. [We had] the chance to win the ballgame…  and the series.”

Game one featured a matchup between two dominant southpaws: Duke sophomore Trent Swart and Maryland senior Jimmy Reed, both of whom lead their teams in ERA. Neither pitcher disappointed, exchanging scoreless innings for most of the game. Swart’s only mistake came in the eighth inning, when he allowed right fielder Jordan Hagel to reach base on a double. Hagel got to third on a groundout in the next at-bat before crossing the plate on a passed ball by Duke catcher Reed Anthes.

Although the Blue Devils threatened in the ninth with men on first and second with two outs, Reed secured his complete-game shutout by inducing a popup to right field.

“Reed and Swart both pitched well enough to win the ballgame,” Pollard said. “The outing by Reed was one of the best pitched games against us all year, but Swart was equally as good. It ultimately came down to a passed ball.”

Game two was the antithesis of game one, with offensive explosions from both teams. Blue Devil starter Drew Van Orden could not contain the Terrapins, surrendering five earned runs in only 1.2 innings. Freshman Michael Matuella relieved Van Orden but gave up two earned runs of his own in the third, giving Maryland an early 7-2 lead.

Duke’s offense, however, heated up in the fourth inning. After shortstop Kenny Koplove singled home center fielder Grant McCabe, Terrapin pitcher Bobby Ruse hit Ryan Munger with a pitch to load the bases. With no outs, second baseman Andy Perez smacked a triple to center field to clear the bases, notching his fourth RBI of the afternoon. Right fielder Jeff Kremer plated Perez with a groundout to tie the game at seven.

But the Terrapins reclaimed the lead in the sixth off two unearned runs from Matuella. A Koplove error allowed second baseman Jose Cuas to reach third base with one out, and he was knocked home by a Hagel fielder’s choice in the next at-bat. Hagel was then plated by center fielder Charlie White’s single to make the score 9-7.

The Blue Devils cut the lead to one in the seventh, after pinch hitter Matt Barezo singled home designated hitter Aaron Cohn. Maryland and Duke went into the eighth inning with the game—and the series—on the line.

The inning did not start in Duke’s favor, after Maryland reliever Kevin Mooney struck out both Kremer and Betts. But with two outs, Marconcini and Cohn each roped doubles to center field to put men on first and second. Pollard’s decision to substitute David Perkins and Anthony D’Alessandro as pinch runners quickly paid off. Their speed helped to convert back-to-back singles from McCabe and Lumpa into the tying and winning runs.  Closer Andrew Istler’s scoreless ninth secured the Blue Devils’ come-from-behind 11-9 victory.

“Mooney was throwing the ball well, but I give a lot of credit to Marconcini and Cohn giving us some really good at-bats in that situation,” Pollard said. “And then a hit ties the ball game. [The team] did good job… of doing what we needed to do to make a comeback.”

Game three began as another pitcher’s duel between Duke sophomore Robert Huber and Maryland junior Jake Stinnett. The Blue Devils struck first in the bottom of the fifth, when McCabe doubled to score Koplove.

The Terrapins, however, responded immediately in the sixth, scoring two runs. After a Hagel sacrifice fly tied the game, first baseman LaMonte Wade hit an easy floater to center field. It was missed by Koplove, Perez and McCabe, all of whom called for the ball. The defensive miscue allowed White to score from first and give the Terrapins the lead.

Maryland tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and ninth, off a passed ball and a wild pitch.

“That play in the sixth [took away] our momentum,” Pollard said. “We cannot allow [White] to score from first on that. It was a tough in-between ball that fell in the right spot, but when that ball falls we have to recover. And those runs in the seventh and ninth should have never scored.”

The series loss to Maryland closes out a difficult April schedule for Duke, during which it posted a 9-9 record and slipped to ninth place in the ACC. With only two more weekends of conference play, the Blue Devils need a boost to move out of their current spot. The top eight teams make the conference tournament.

“We’ve got to allow these next few days to… rest,” Pollard said. “April’s been a grueling month for us and these guys are fatigued. For us to come out and play our best baseball over the next few weeks [of ACC play], we need to get the battery recharged.”