The fierce anger and utter disappointment was evident in the eighth inning from the sold-out crowd at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium during Maryland baseball’s NCAA Tournament regional game against UConn on Monday night.
The sound of boos swept across the bleachers while a group of firefighters, who stood on top of the firetruck parked outside of the stadium, looked on — dumbfounded — as one call sent the Terps’ record-breaking season fading into the cool night sky.
After Maryland nearly evaporated a 9-1 deficit and sophomore second baseman Kevin Keister doubled home junior left fielder Bobby Zmarlak, cutting the Huskies’ lead to 10-8, fifth-year outfielder Chris “Bubba” Alleyne was in position to either tie the game or take the lead with one out — and possibly add to his legacy as a Terp.
Alleyne, the Big Ten Conference’s Player of the Year, hit a slow, bouncing grounder down the first base line, sending Keister home. As Alleyne sped toward first base, he collided with UConn first baseman Ben Huber moments after touching the bag safely.
After the first base umpire originally called him safe, home plate umpire Jeff Head overruled him and called Alleyne out. They reviewed the play and upheld the call — out for running outside the baseline — and Keister was sent back to third base. When junior third baseman Nick Lorusso grounded out to end the frame, boos from the Terps faithful tuned out the joyous screams from UConn players as they escaped a jam.
When the Huskies stormed the field in the ninth inning, surviving yet another Maryland rally for an 11-8 victory to advance to the NCAA Tournament super regionals, the Terps remained on the field stunned, as their historic season ended with a 48-14 record.
“That’s just baseball,” Alleyne said. “[The call] was out of our control and that’s how the game goes.”
What more could Maryland baseball have given?
The Terps had already staved off elimination not once but twice on Sunday, erasing a three-run deficit against Wake Forest before beating UConn in a matchup that required them to use seven pitchers and Lorusso to hit a walk-off single in extra innings.
And with less than 24 hours after unimaginably saving their record-breaking season, the Terps returned to Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium on Monday with their bodies taxed from playing four games in three days.
But Terps fifth-year coach Rob Vaughn understood postseason baseball was a daunting task that required his players to exceed their limitations. With a spot in the super regionals hanging in the balance against the Huskies, Vaughn asked his team to put together one last fight, and they did.
Maryland outscored the Huskies 7-2 in the final five innings, which Vaughn considered a perfect description of the resiliency that’s instilled in every player on the roster.
“This is a group of warriors,” Vaughn said. “One thing you can’t question about this group is how hard they play. It hurts but this team rewrote every record that we have here.”
Monday was not an ideal scenario for Maryland. After using essentially their entire bullpen to get to the winner-take-all game, it was evident in the first few innings that the Terps’ pitchers had little left in the gas tank. Maryland used three pitchers in the first three innings, allowing seven runs on three hits and two hit batters.
Terps freshman pitcher Andrew Johnson, who pitched the 11th inning on Sunday, managed to get the first two outs in the first before walking three straight hitters to load the bases. When Robinson walked UConn designated hitter Korey Morton and then hit center fielder T.C. Simmons with a pitch, Maryland’s leadoff homer by catcher Luke Shliger was already not enough as the Terps trailed, 2-1. Then came the big blow, as senior Sean Heine relieved Robinson and immediately gave up a grand slam to Huskies catcher Matt Donlan, whose blast extended their lead to 6-1.
Maryland would go on to use nine pitchers, including Lorusso, in the loss.
“Even though it didn’t go [Johnson’s] way, he will be able to look back at tonight and take a ton away,” Vaughn said. “It was hard for this team because it was a struggle out of the gate, but [Johnson] is going to pitch in some big spots for us.”
The damage continued in the fourth when Huskies second baseman David Smith homered and shortstop Bryan Padilla hit an RBI double for an eight-run advantage.
However, Maryland proved it still had some fight left. After going scoreless for three straight innings, following Shliger’s first-inning homer, the bats showed some life in the fifth. Maryland scored four runs on four hits. When Terps junior right fielder Troy Schreffler Jr. drove home Lorusso with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 9-5, the stadium was electric as a glimmer of hope was restored.
Even when the Huskies added another run, the Terps continued to show why they are one of the nation’s best offensive teams. Alleyne smashed a two-run homer, setting the program’s single-season record (24) while cutting the deficit to 10-7.
“Baseball is a grind,” Keister said. “We’ve been tired all season so we knew we had to play through it today. There was never a point where this team thought we were going to lose.”
After the controversial call in the eighth, UConn padded its lead with another run in the bottom of the frame. The Terps went down in order in the ninth.
“It was a pretty good gut punch right there,” said Vaughn. “We just ran out of time.”