Baseball Wins Series Opener over Maryland

Friday, May 8

Piscataway, N.J.

6:00 PM

Rutgers University

23-26, 10-15

Maryland

23-27, 6-19

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Maryland	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	8	3
Rutgers	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	X	5	7	0

Photo by: Cos Lymperopoulos

May 08 | Baseball

Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball won Friday night's series opener over Maryland by a score of 5-3 at Bainton Field.

The Scarlet Knights (23-26, 10-15) slugged two home runs in the first inning and received strong pitching to dispatch the Terrapins (23-27, 6-19) in wire-to-wire fashion.

Zack Konstantinovsky delivered one of the best outings of his career, going 6.2 innings and tying a career high with nine strikeouts, yielding two runs on five hits and one walk. When his day was done, Joe Mazza took it home, finishing the game 2.1 innings and two strikeouts to earn the save.

The RU offense gave an early cushion after a two-out error extended the first inning. Matt Chatelle hit a two-run home run to make it 2-0 and Ryan Jaros went back-to-back with a solo shot to push the advantage to 3-0.

Every time Maryland would try to make it close, the Scarlet Knights would answer back to keep the Terps at bay.

A sac fly from Maryland would make it 3-1, but an infield single from Jack Sweeney made it 4-1. A solo homer in the seventh made it 4-2, but Chase Krewson hit a sac fly to make it 5-2 after seven.

In the top of the ninth, the Terrapins led off with a single and hit an RBI double to score a run, but Krewson and Yomar Carreras combined for a relay to throw out the batter trying to stretch it into a triple. Mazza would retire the next two hitters in order to secure the victory.

Game two between Rutgers and Maryland is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Bainton Field. RU will celebrate Letterwinner Day before the game and honor the 2000 team, which won the Big East and hosted an NCAA Regional.