Maryland @ IU, Game 3: UMD completes the sweep, 14-8...

[ptrich]

It figured that IU would go with their most consistent pitcher and LHP Ryan Kraft will be on the mound in his first start of the season although he has seen extended innings in relief this season. His ERA is 1.33 in 40.1 IP. Serruto will again be behind the plate and he may be there for most if not the rest of the season. Mathison is the DH. Serruto has moved up to No. 8 in the batting order with Jessee again getting the start in LF and he is batting in the No. 9 spot.

RHP Jason Savacool is on the mound for the Terps with an ERA of 3.75 in 60 IP.

It's raining right now, but they will play. It's 46 degrees at game time.

1st Inning:

T1st:

Kraft got off to a good start to the game by putting them down in order on a K, infield pop out, and a flyout.

B1st:

Glasser flied out to lead off.

Whalen walked to put a runner on with one out. Taylor hit a line drive to 2nd and Whalen was doubled off 1st to end the inning on a DP'

UMD 0 IU 0

 

[ptrich]

2nd Inning:

T2nd:

The light rain (sprinkles) has ended. It's the 4-6 hitters up for the Terps.

The next hitter doubled with one out.

Another double scored the runner to make it 1-0 Terps.

A single put runners on the corners with one out.

A SAC bunt scored another run, and a GO and a lineout retired the side with the Terps up 2-0.

B2nd:

Tibbitts singled to lead off. Mathison popped up to LF. Pyne fouled out to RF. Cerny grounded out to end the inning.

UMD 2 IU 0

 

[Dude Where Is My Car]

Can i please have an apology for my criticism of Mercer even if it is a bit overboard? The fact that his team cannot even be competitive against a team with similar talent that other teams have is 100% a reflection on him.

Regionals are very much in play if you don’t collapse against the bad teams coming up but can you trust that with this staff?

I legitimately want to know what Mercer has done that makes you think he is the guy other than win Lemonis’ talent in 2019? If this team collapses out of the postseason for second time in three seasons how do you justify keeping this staff in a solid Big Ten and stay competitive in your own league much less nationally?

 

[ptrich]

3rd Inning:

T3rd:

It's the top of the order and the leadoff hitter flied out deep to CF.

A single put a runner on. Kraft then walked a batter on a 3-1 count.

Another single scored a run with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.

Yet another single scored a run with runners on the corners with one out.

Pyne got a popped up bunt for the 2nd out.

Kraft then walked a batter to load the bases with two outs. A K finally retired the side.

B3rd:

It's the 8-1 hitters up with Serruto leading off and a ground ball results in the 1st out and IU is not putting hardly any pressure on Maryland pitchers in this series.

Jessee walked to put a runner on and we are at the top of the order in Glasser.

Glasser singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.

Whalen K'd for the 2nd out.

Taylor then clubbed a 479 ft 3-run homer to put IU back in this game early on.

A K ended the inning.

UMD 4 IU 3

 

[ptrich]

4th Inning:

T4th:

Kraft gave up a double to the No. 9 hitter and then hit Shliger at the top of the order to put two on and no outs and Mercer pulled Kraft.

RHP Craig Yoho came in with an ERA of 2.31 in 23.1 and so far it doesn't seem like it matters who IU puts out there. Maryland scored over 40 runs in their two midweek games leading up to this series and that has carried over to this series.

Yoho got off to a good start with a huge K with runners still at 1st and 2nd and now one out.

A single scored another run with runners on 1st and 2nd and one out. Yoho got a K and Serruto threw out a runner attempting to steal 3rd to end the inning with the Terps adding a run.

B4th:

It's the 5-7 hitters up with Mathison leading off.

Mathison K'd to lead off and Pyne grounded out for two outs, and Cerny K'd to end the inning.

UMD 5 IU 3

 

[ptrich]

5th Inning:

T5th:

It's the 5-7 hitters up and Yoho K'd the first two batters, but Yoho then gave up a homer to make it 6-3 Maryland.

Yoho then hit a batter to put a runner on with two outs. Another K retired the side.

B5th:

It's the 8 thru 1 hitters up for IU with Serruto leading off.

Serruto singled to lead off.

Jessee then doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and the top of the order up.

Glasser then lined out to 1st for the first out.

Whalen then hit a SF to score Serruto to make it 6-4 Terps with two outs and Jessee at 3rd.

Taylor then hit his 2nd homer of the game, a two-run shot to tie the game and it went 417 ft.

Tibbitts then walked and Savacool's PC is starting to get up there.

Mathison then missed on another homer as it hit the wall for a double to score Tibbitts to give IU their first lead in the series, 7-6, with still two outs.

Pyne is up and he flied out to end the inning. Savacool is over 90 pitches and his day may be over with.

IU 7 UMD 6

 

[ptrich]

6th Inning:

T6th:

Yoho is back out there to face the top of the order and he gets the leadoff hitter on a flyout.

Yoho then gave up a homer to the Terp's home run leader in Shaw who now has 18 homers on the season and it tied the game.

Yoho then gave up a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position and Mercer went to the bullpen.

RHP Connor Foley with an ERA of 4.02 in 15.2 IP.

A WP moved the runner to 3rd with one out, but an infield pop up resulted in the 2nd out.

A walk put runners on the corners, but a flyout retired the side.

B6th:

It's the bottom of the order up with Cerny leading off and before he could see that first pitch, rain moved in to cause a weather delay. Savacool was back out there with a PC of 91, but with the weather delay, they may not send him back out there.

Maryland went to the bullpen out of the delay and brought in RHP Kenny Lippman with an ERA of 4.41 in 32.2 IP.

Cerny and Serruto both K'd coming out of the delay for two outs and no one on.

Jessee was hit by a pitch to put a runner on with two outs and the top of the order up in Glasser.

Glasser walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs and Whalen up.

Whalen K'd on a full count to end the inning.

IU 7 UMD 7

 

[82IU]

I wish that the Live Stats sites would put Weather Delay in their notes so we would be informed. Thanks Ptrich for keeping us informed and up to date on the games. You are very appreciated!!
Go Hoosiers!!
82

 

[82IU]

Must be another weather delay.
82

 

[ptrich]

7th Inning:

T7th:

Foley is back out there after the delay and he faced the bottom of the order which is 3 for 6 on the day so far.

Foley walked the first two batters and Mercer went to the bullpen to bring in RHP Brooks Ey with an ERA of 7.97 in 20.1 IP and he faced the No. 9 hitter with the wind blowing out which is not good with the power hitters that Maryland has.

A SAC bunt advanced the runners to 2nd and 3rd with one out.

More weather moved in to cause another weather delay for who knows how long.

The game resumed at about 3:38 with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out and with Ey on the mound, a single scored two runs to make it 9-7.

A walk put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. A K and a lineout retired the side.

B7th:

It's 3-5 hitters up with IU with Taylor leading off and the Terps have RHP Dave Falco on the mound with an ERA of 5.96 in 25.2 IP.

Falco is not a strikeout pitcher but he K'd Taylor looking for the first out. Tibbitts grounded out for the 2nd out.

Mathison doubled to put a runner in scoring position with two outs.

Pyne flied out and missed out on a scoring chance and have just six outs to try and do something.

UMD 9 IU 7

 

[ptrich]

Must be another weather delay.
82

An estimated 45 minute delay on this one.

 

[82IU]

Let's just call the game a tie and go lick our wounds! LOL.
82

 

[ptrich]

An estimated 45 minute delay on this one.

They announced that play will begin again at 3:40 p.m.

 

[Bucket Getter]

This has been an incredibly ugly weekend. Good grief. 3 games in a row with double digits? Not sure I've ever heard of that.

 

[ptrich]

8th Inning:

T8th:

It's the 5-7 hitters up and the leadoff hitter singled. Ey got a flyout for the first out with the runner holding at 1st.

Another single put runners on 1st and 2nd and one out.

Back-to-back singles scored two more runs to make it 11-7 with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out and that was it for Ey.

IU brought in LHP Ben Seiler with an ERA of 6.35 in 28.1 IP. Seiler K'd for two outs with runners still at 2nd and 3rd. A flyout retired the side but more damage was done with the Terps extending the lead.

B8th:

It's the bottom of the order up with Cerny and Serruto both grounded out for two outs.

Jessee walked on four pitches. A double by Glasser scored Jessee as IU pulls within 3 runs with two out.

Whalen K'd looking to end the inning.

UMD 11 IU 8

 

[ptrich]

9th Inning:

T9th:

It's the 5-7 hitters up. Seiler walked the leadoff hitter on a full count. A WP moved the runner to 2nd.

A GO moved the runner to 3rd with one out.

With an 0-2 count on a batter, Mercer went to the bullpen to bring in RHP Wes Burton with an ERA of 2.92 in 12.1 IP. Burton got a shallow flyout for the 2nd out and kept the runner at 3rd.

A bunt single which was very close scored a run, and then a two-run homer extended the lead to six at 14-8. A K retired the side but the three runs scored almost certainly eliminated any chance IU had to comeback in the bottom of the inning.

B9th:

It's the 3-5 hitters up and Taylor lined out and Tibbitts flied out for two outs. Mathison singled and he has been the only IU hitter to hit well for the entire series. A FC ended the game in what has been a dominating performance by the Terps.

UMD 14 IU 8 (Final)

 

[82IU]

I am afraid this will be the teams undoing for the post season if we don't finish the season with a bang. Hope not but it was a very disappointing weekend. Let's move on!
Go Hoosiers!
82

 

[Orbit7958]

Coach Travel Ball lol

 

[Im4iu89]

SMH

 

[walkerman]

Can i please have an apology for my criticism of Mercer even if it is a bit overboard? The fact that his team cannot even be competitive against a team with similar talent that other teams have is 100% a reflection on him.

Regionals are very much in play if you don’t collapse against the bad teams coming up but can you trust that with this staff?

I legitimately want to know what Mercer has done that makes you think he is the guy other than win Lemonis’ talent in 2019? If this team collapses out of the postseason for second time in three seasons how do you justify keeping this staff in a solid Big Ten and stay competitive in your own league much less nationally?

These two teams were tied for first place coming into the weekend series. Maryland was obviously the superior team and a real setback but it does not define the season. This team has three freshmen and 3 sophomores in its starting lineup and is still developing and to be in contention for a big ten title late in the season is an accomplishment. You have no apology coming because you have no idea what you are talking about.

Hell, you can't even find your car.

 

[ptrich]

Maryland just simply outclassed IU in this series in every category. Maryland has now won 20 B1G series in a row, while IU lost their first B1G series of the season in miserable fashion. Maryland just came off of two wins before this series where they scored a combined 40 runs and that hot streak continued in this series and it didn't seem to matter who was on the mound as the entire Terps' lineup was seeing the ball well against everyone. Meanwhile, IU spent much of the first two games hitting a lot of weak grounders to kill most innings. They found some offense in the last game and had a lead of 7-6, but that was short-lived since our pitching staff couldn't get outs when they needed them and the Terps made it look easy getting runs when they needed it. Mathison was the only consistent IU hitter during the series going 6 of 11 with two doubles, a triple, and two homers, while Taylor had a big game today, but it just wasn't enough.

Maryland was the favorite if not the heavy favorite to win the B1G in the preseason, and they got off to a good but not a great start to the season. They sure look like they are peaking at the right time and with this sweep, they have firm control of 1st place. Meanwhile, IU fell to a tie for 3rd place as other teams in the conference took advantage of the Terps sweep winning games against lesser opponents, but that's how it goes. IU now has a chance to make up some ground on those teams with three series against teams that are nowhere near the team that Maryland is, but who knows how this debacle will affect the team's psyche. I'm betting they will rebound from it quite well, and as a fan, I have to believe that. There's certainly no need to track getting the 1-seed and hosting since this pretty much ended that, and you can pretty much pencil Maryland in the race for that. There may be people that disagree with what I post on this, but that's okay.

In this game, the Terps outhit IU 18-10 and the Terps were 18 of 42 for a team batting average of .429, while IU was 10 of 35 for .286. IU had three multi-hit players today with Taylor having a big day with the long ball. Here are some stats.

Taylor: 2 for 5 with two homers and 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Mathison: 3 for 5 with two doubles and 1 RBI.
Glasser: 2 for 4 with a double, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Jessee: 1 for 1 which was a double, and he scored 3 runs, and he was walked twice and hit by a pitch.

Maryland was not charged with an error in the series, while IU had two errors which occurred in yesterday's game.

IU used six pitchers in the game and all of them gave up earned runs and saw their ERAs rise, so I'll just let the box score do the talking on that instead of going through the stats here.

 

[Dude Where Is My Car]

This team is still in position to make the postseason if they take care of business against far inferior competition as they have all season. Can a Mercer team be trusted to do that and if not how can we say he deserves this job if two times in three seasons he has collapsed his team out of Regionals and mightily sucked in the season in between?

Before Mercer came, IU was the best and most consistent team in this conference. Since then they have easily been passed by Michigan, Iowa, and Maryland at minimum and Rutgers and Nebaska are nipping at you as well. The Big Ten is better, but not a great league and three squads should not become better than you within three seasons unless they have far better coaching than you do. Basically IU is on the verge of being past by half the conference. How can we say Mercer has done a good job when other teams have gotten better while IU has gotten worse?

I genuinely want to understand what people see in Mercer that makes them think he is a good coach? I am not trying to troll but I just am not seeing what he has done other than let other teams in the league get better than IU is.

 

[ptrich]

Here's the box score from the Terps' site. They are taking forever to get a box score up at the IU site.

Baseball vs Indiana on 4/30/2023 - Box Score - University of Maryland Athletics

The official box score of Baseball vs Indiana on 4/30/2023

umterps.com

 

[Dude Where Is My Car]

Wow! Mercer just basically said in the press conference today he doesn't care if they make a Regional if you listen to whole thing.

This has to be the final straw right? How can you guys listen to this and think this is OK? He also admitted that the other team coached better.

How can anyone listen to this and not be concerned about this guy running the program? I genuinely want to understand people's thought process here.

 

[dconifer]

View embedded media

Wow! Mercer just basically said in the press conference today he doesn't care if they make a Regional if you listen to whole thing.

This has to be the final straw right? How can you guys listen to this and think this is OK? He also admitted that the other team coached better.

How can anyone listen to this and not be concerned about this guy running the program? I genuinely want to understand people's thought process here.

I'm a Maryland guy, so you may not care. But I listened to that, and he reminded me of myself. He's not an alpha male. Most professional coaches are, and would have instead given us a blast of "coachspeak."

I think IU baseball is a good team that had a tough weekend, and that's all I saw. You obviously know more about the program than I do.

ETA: just in case it wasn't clear, he seems like a good manager to me.

Go Hoosiers...

 

[HoosierJimbo89]

I'm a Maryland guy, so you may not care. But I listened to that, and he reminded me of myself. He's not an alpha male. Most professional coaches are, and would have instead given us a blast of "coachspeak."

I think IU baseball is a good team that had a tough weekend, and that's all I saw. You obviously know more about the program than I do.

ETA: just in case it wasn't clear, he seems like a good manager to me.

Go Hoosiers...

Dude repeats the same post over and over and has a conversation with himself going on. It is strange, but it is best to just ignore and move on.

 

[ptrich]

Dude repeats the same post over and over and has a conversation with himself going on. It is strange, but it is best to just ignore and move on.

I can honestly say that I quit reading his posts a few games back and you won't see me responding to them because of that. Obviously, I see them but I go right past them with a "why bother" attitude. Dude will respond to all of this, but I won't read it so there's that.

A person could go back and read the first one he posted this season and not bother to read any of the other posts since it's a regurgitation of the same thing. He just uses different situations that occur during the season to jump in there and basically say the same thing that Mercer is dumb and can't coach. Everything he posts has Mercer as the subject and it's like he is totally obsessed with Mercer, and as they all like to say nowadays, Mercer lives in his head rent free.

Another thing is that at times, he has addressed some of the posters on here to include me with snide-like remarks like he is looking down at you, and that doesn't go over very well with me also. It's okay to point things out that are maybe in error or whatever, but the "hey dummy" tone to them is a bit too much, at least for me.

We get it that he detests Mercer as a head coach and he has a right to post that here as long as he doesn't violate the posting protocols that the site has, but I have a right to not to read them since it has become nothing but a constant, annoying drone to me.

We had a very bad weekend, but that doesn't erase everything that this team has done up to that point, and we have three more weekend series left and I'm going to continue to support the team hoping for a strong finish.

 

[HoosierJimbo89]

Another thing is that at times, he has addressed some of the posters on here to include me with snide-like remarks like he is looking down at you, and that doesn't go over very well with me also. It's okay to point things out that are maybe in error or whatever, but the "hey dummy" tone to them is a bit too much, at least for me.

If it looks like a troll, walks like a troll, talks like a troll.....

Trolls pick fights and bully, and they do it anonymously on the internet because they can't do it in real life and have issues. The best medicine is to ignore them. A tree falling in the forest doesn't make a sound if nobody is around.