COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Rutgers baseball beat Maryland by a score of 9-4 on Friday night at Bob Smith Stadium, clinching the series win and a berth in the Big Ten Tournament. 
 
The Scarlet Knights (28-26, 15-14) took a lead in the third inning and never looked back against the Terrapins (26-29, 11-18), earning a spot in the Big Ten Tournament for the third time in four years after qualifying for the first time in program history in 2022. 

RU used four freshmen on the mound and held Maryland to four runs for the second straight game after the Terrapins entered the weekend averaging 8.2 runs per game. 
 
After both teams were held off the board in the first, Maryland struck with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to jump out to a 2-0 advantage.
 
Rutgers had an immediate response in the top of the third, as a single from Ty Doucette and double from Trevor Cohen set up Peyton Bonds, who drove them both in with a single to tie the game at 2-2.
 
With Cohen's double in the third, he set the Big Ten record for hits in a conference season – recording his 54th Big Ten hit of the season. Cohen broke the record of 53, set by Michigan's Chris Getz in 2005.
 
Justin Shadek delivered a shutdown bottom of the third before RU took control with a four-spot in the fourth.
 
After loading the bases, Brennan Hyde drove in the first run of the frame with a single. Doucette then delivered a two-run double off the wall in center and Cohen followed with an RBI single – pushing the advantage to 6-2.
 
The Terrapins hit a solo home run to make it 6-3 in the fourth, but the Scarlet Knights once again had an answer.
 
Pablo Santos drove in Cohen with a single and Yomar Carreras added another RBI single to make it 8-3.
 
Maryland got one back in the sixth on an RBI groundout, but RU scored on a passed ball, making the score 9-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth.
 
Shadek made the start for Rutgers and earned the win, pitching five innings and giving up three runs on four hits, striking out three.
 
Matt Cruz pitched the sixth and after giving up a run, was able to strand the bases loaded with a popout.
 
Luke Fithian came in for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout. He would add a scoreless eighth and finished with two scoreless innings and two strikeouts. 

Andrew Rondini polished off the victory in the ninth with a scoreless frame. 
 
Notes

• With the win, Rutgers qualified for the Big Ten Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons after qualifying for the first time in 2022 – with its first season in the conference in 2015.
• Rutgers beat Maryland in a three-game series for the first time since 2016.
• Trevor Cohen now owns the Big Ten and Rutgers single-season records with 55 hits and counting in conference games.
• Cohen recorded his 28th multi-hit game of the season and ninth game with at least three hits. 
• Ty Doucette recorded his 27th multi-hit game of the season and his fifth game with at least three hits. 
• Yomar Carreras recorded his 14th multi-hit game of the season. 
• Matt Chatelle recorded his ninth multi-hit game of the season. 

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