Keister’s walk-off lifts Maryland baseball past Indiana in series finale, 6-5

Kevin Keister’s ninth-inning single helped the Terps avoid the sweep.

Tied at five in the bottom of the ninth inning, Kevin Keister stepped up to the plate. Maryland baseball’s captain made no mistake, driving in the winning run to lift the Terps past Indiana in the series finale, 6-5.

“I was kind of expecting an off-speed pitch, got a slider,” Keister said. “Hit it decently hard, but when I first hit it, I was like, ‘Oh no, I hit it on the ground with five infielders...but so happy it snuck through.”

With the win, the Terps avoided their first weekend series sweep since 2019.

“Not getting swept is about team character, It’s about the camaraderie,” head coach Matt Swope said. “Guys just kind of saw that whether we were up or down, the guys battled back”

The Terps got on the board first in the third inning when Chris Hacopian and Sam Hojnar scored off a fielding error. The Hoosiers got one back in the fourth, though, when sophomore center fielder Devin Taylor hit a solo home run.

Maryland starter Joey McMannis, who was strong through the opening five innings, ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing Indiana to take its first lead of the afternoon.

Trying to get the runner out at first, McMannis instead misfired and saw two runners score. He then allowed a two-RBI single before Logan Berrier came in to limit the damage.

McMannis finished his day giving up three hits and four walks in 5 ²⁄₃ innings. Despite the fielding error, Swope was pleased with his starter’s performance.

“Just unbelievable, [McMannis] just dominated the whole game,” he said. “I mean, that’s a really, really good hitting team.”

Down three, Maryland returned the favor in the bottom half of the frame. Jacob Orr first drove in Keister with an RBI single before the Terps added a pair of runs with the bases loaded to even the game at five.

From there, Berrier took over. He pitched a scoreless seventh, eighth and ninth inning to give Maryland a chance.

“I can’t say enough about [Berrier] this season he’s been amazing,” Swope said. “Just like again, [he] kept us in the game.”

While It was a difficult weekend for the Terps at home, they once again found success with late-game heroics.

Three things to know

1. Chris Hacopian regained his form. After a tough opening two games, the freshman reached base five times and had four hits Sunday.

“It’s good to see Chris back,” Swope said. “I mean, after battling the flu last week, you know, it’s just a big game by him... I mean, he’s the best freshman in the country.”

2. Maryland overcame poor early baserunning. Maryland has struggled all season leaving runners on base. Sunday, its freshmen made mental errors on the basepath in the first inning. Chris Hacopian was picked off while Martin was tagged out trying to take second base.

“I yelled at Chris. I mean, it’s just freshmen,” Swope said. “Mistakes are gonna happen... you just have to teach...”

3. Another close victory. Sunday marked Maryland’s fourth walk-off win and 13th comeback victory of the season. It also moved to 9-1 in games decided by one run.

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