Maryland baseball dominates Princeton, 17-1

The Terp scored 10 runs in the second inning.

Maryland baseball was glad to see a struggling Princeton team after giving up 44 runs in its previous four games.

Maryland’s starting pitcher, Kyle McCoy, allowed a home run on the game’s third pitch, and another disastrous game from the Terps pitching staff looked to be on tap.

This worry was wiped away in the bottom of the second inning, as the Terps offense caught fire. The first eight batters reached base and they drove in 10 runs on seven hits and three home runs.

Maryland shut out Princeton for the rest of the game en route to a 17-1 victory Friday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

With struggles defensively and by the bullpen in the first seven games, Maryland didn’t have to worry about either against Princeton. After committing 13 errors — which ranked 265th in the nation — the Terps recorded none Friday. Even the bullpen didn’t have much work to do, as McCoy pitched seven brilliant innings, allowing just one run on four hits and tying a career-high nine strikeouts on 72 pitches.

After only tallying one hit in the first inning, first baseman Hollis Porter opened the second inning with his third home run of the season to right-center field to tie up the game.

The offense was contagious, as designated hitter Michael Iannazzo reached base on a single to right field, followed by a towering home run off the video board by junior Aden Hill — his second straight game with a home run.

After Princeton walked two straight batters, leadoff batter Brayden Martin cleared the bases with a double to left-center field. Third baseman Eddie Hacopian followed him up with the third double of the inning, scoring Martin in the process.

Chris Hacopian became the eighth straight batter to reach base on his RBI single to right-center field, putting the Terps up 7-1.

After a pitching change, Princeton recorded two straight outs, but the Terps weren’t held back for long.

Hill then hit a three-run home run — his second of the inning and third straight at bat with a home run, dating back to last game — to give Maryland their 10th and final run of the inning. He was the first Maryland player since Will Watson in 2018 to hit two home runs in an inning.

This energy translated to McCoy, who retired 14 straight batters. His dominance included seven strikeouts through four innings and one hit. Everything went McCoy’s way Friday. After allowing his first hit since the leadoff batter in the fifth inning, Maryland’s defense worked a double play to nullify it.

While McCoy was on fire, Princeton reliever Kaden Kram cooled down the Terps offense, pitching three straight scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit to keep the Tigers’ hopes alive.

But McCoy’s resolve was unwavering after getting himself into a sixth inning jam. After a leadoff walk and Jake Bold double, McCoy responded with two strikeouts to up his total to nine.

After a 0 for 3 start, senior Alex Calarco hit his nation-leading seventh home run and 22nd RBI of the season to extend the Terps’ lead to 11-1.

The Terps added on more in the seventh. After two straight walks, left fielder Liam Wilson’s single through the right side drove in a run. That was followed by two straight sacrifice hits by freshman Parker Corbin and Eddie Hacopian, extending the lead to 13.

Maryland’s offense wasn’t done. It loaded the bases for the first time in the eighth inning. The Terps added three runs off two singles and a hit-by-pitch to take a 17-1 lead into the ninth.

Freshman Cristofer Cespedes closed it out, throwing two scoreless innings to cap off the 16-run victory.

Next up for the Terps is Saturday’s doubleheader. First, they will take on Princeton again at 11:30 a.m., then Wake Forest at 3 p.m.

Three things to know

McCoy’s best start. Redshirt sophomore Kyle McCoy has been Maryland’s best pitcher this season, coming into the game with a 0.93 ERA and allowing just one run in 10 innings. Today was his best performance, though, throwing seven innings and allowing just one run. He also tied his career-high of nine strikeouts.
Offense, offense, offense. The Terps came into Friday’s game ranked third in the nation in runs scored per game. Another brilliant offensive showcase brought the Terps over 100 runs through the season’s first eight games.
Cespedes bounces back. After walking four batters in his first career appearance, Cespedes pitched two scoreless innings to close it out for Maryland.

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