College Park, Md. – The Stetson Hatters found out what it must be like to face the Stetson pitching staff on Saturday as Maryland's sophomore left-hander Tyler Blohm silenced the Stetson bats in a 6-1 Terrapins victory.
Stetson managed just four hits on the day and struck out 13 times.
The Hatters (19-4) and Terrapins (11-12) will meet in the rubber game of the series on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be video streamed on the Big Ten Plus Network.
Blohm (3-2) kept the Hatters off balance all day, recording at least one strikeout in seven of his eight innings of work. The only hit he allowed through the first four innings was a
Baylen Sparks bloop down the right-field line in the first. Sparks was thrown out on the play trying to stretch for a double.
The Hatters didn't get another base runner until
Jorge Arenas delivered a two-out double in the fifth.
While Stetson was struggling with the bats, Hatters junior
Jack Perkins (2-2) was struggling with his control. After walking a batter in each of the first two innings with no damage, Perkins hit four batters, including three in a row, and allowed a pair of singles in the Terrapins' three-run third.
Maryland added a run, and chased Perkins, in the fifth with a pair of doubles to score an additional run. The Terps picked up another run in the sixth after reliever
Jeremy Orbik walked the bases loaded.
Sophomore
Austin Bogart came in and got a double play and a pop out to avoid a big inning, but the Maryland lead grew to 5-1.
Stetson scored its only run in the seventh inning after Sparks led off with a sinking liner to left that was ruled a single and an error. After moving up on a wild pitch, Sparks scored on an infield single by
Brooks Wilson.
Maryland added one more run in the eighth when Nick Dunn hit a solo home run just inside the right-field foul pole.
The Terps managed just six hits in a game that last just two hours and seven minutes, but took advantage of the seven walks and four hit batters allowed by the Hatters. Dunn, Marty Coastes and Zach Jancarski had two hits each to account for the Maryland offense.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
