Box Score

Maryland 13, VT 8

 

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Playing under a steady drizzle for nearly half of the game, the Virginia Tech Hokies fell by a score of 13-8 to the Maryland Terrapins in ACC baseball action on Saturday at English Field.

The Hokies (11-19, 1-13 ACC) made a comeback bid after falling behind early 8-2, but Maryland relief pitcher Mike Sufczynski (2-2) pitched five innings of one-hit ball to stifle the threat and move the Terps to 17-14 overall and 4-10 in league play.

Redshirt senior David Cross (2-2; Scottsdale, Ariz.) took the loss for Tech after starting and allowing eight runs (six earned) on eight hits in two innings. Justin Wright (Chesterfield, Va.) tied a career high with seven strikeouts in relief duty.

Maryland scored in each of the first three innings to take that 8-2 lead, four of which came in the top of the first thanks to a pair of home runs - a solo shot by third baseman Mike Murphy and a three-run bomb by left fielder Gerry Spessard.

A.J. Casario scored the Terps' lone run in the second on a single by Murphy, and Maryland added another three in the third on an RBI double by Chad Durakis, a run-scoring single by Spessard and a sacrifice fly from Casario.

Tech's two runs came in the bottom of the second, after catcher Anthony Sosnoskie (Front Royal, Va.) and right fielder Klint Reed (Chesterfield, Va.) led off with a single and a walk, respectively. Designated hitter Matt Blow (Richmond, Va.) followed with his third double of the season that plated both runners.

The Hokies batted around in the fourth inning to tally four runs and pull within two at 8-6. After Sosnoskie led off with a double, Reed and Blow walked to load the bases. Third baseman Michael Seaborn (Atlanta, Ga.) struck out, but left fielder Steve Bumbry (Cockeysville, Md.) laced a first-pitch single to center field to deliver Sosnoskie home. A Tony Balisteri (Lexington, Va.) single moved all three runners up a station, and second baseman Austin Wates (Richmond, Va.) followed with another base knock to score Blow and Bumbry.

The two squads traded pairs in the fifth. For the Terps, Dan Benick reached on a throwing error by Balisteri and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Steve Braun walked, Murphy reached on a fielder's choice that advanced Benick to third, and Jensen Pupa - serving as the DH after starting the game at pitcher - collected two RBIs with a double that gave the Terps a brief four-run lead.

In the Hokies' half of the fifth, Reed and Blow both reached in their third consecutive trips, this time both on walks. Seaborn sent them to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, and two batters later, Balisteri picked up his second and third RBIs of the game - a new career high - with a single that scored Reed and Blow.

Maryland tallied an insurance run in the seventh when Nick Jowers, who led off with a pinch-hit double, came around to score on single by Pupa. The Terps tacked on another deuce in the ninth to set the final tally at 13-8.

Sunday's rubber match between the two teams is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.