Michigan State University
20-15, 0
Maryland
27-11, 0
Spartans Taken Down By Terrapins Twice Sunday
4/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Michigan State baseball lost both games of a doubleheader at Maryland, 2-1 and 6-2, Sunday at UMD's Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
UMD 2, MSU 1 Box Score 
| UMD 6, MSU 2 Box Score
The teams were forced to play a doubleheader on Sunday after Saturday's middle game of the series was rained out.
With the pair of losses, the Spartans are now 20-16 overall and 5-7 in Big Ten Conference play. The Terrapins improved to 28-11 overall and 12-3 in B1G action, as Maryland won its seventh-straight game. This weekend was just the second regular-season series between the Spartans and Terps, as Maryland's first season in the Big Ten was 2015, and UMD leads the series, 6-2.
In the opener, freshman left fielder Bryce Kelley was 2-for-4 and scored MSU's lone run of the game. Senior second baseman Dan Durkin was 1-for-2 with an RBI and was hit by a pitch. Sophomore right fielder Dan Chmielewski, junior center fielder Brandon Hughes and sophomore shortstop Royce Ando were all 1-for-4. Hughes made his return to the outfield Sunday after missing over a week with an injury after batting as the designated hitter in Friday's game.
In the second game, sophomore designated hitter Alex Troop was 2-for-4, Durkin was 1-for-4 with a run scored, also reaching on another hit by pitch, his second of the day and now team leading 11th of the season. Kelley, Chmielewski and Ando were all 1-for-4. Junior catcher Will Salter was 1-for-1, belting his first career home run, coming on in the eighth inning as a substitute.
Maryland scored its first run of the day in its first opportunity with a run in the bottom of the first for an early 1-0 lead. MSU had several chances, but just couldn't push across a run. The Terps added a run in the fifth inning for a 2-0 lead.
The Spartans cut the gap in half in the seventh as Kelley reached on a one-out walk and moved to third on a Chmielewski single. The next batter was Durkin and his flyout to center was deep enough to plate Kelley on the sacrifice fly for the 2-1 score, but MSU couldn't get score anymore to tie the game.
In the second game, the Terps plated three in the bottom of the second, with the big blow coming on a two-run single by Zach Jancarski. UMD added a run in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.
MSU got a run back in the top of the sixth as Durkin started the rally by getting hit by a pitch, and advanced to second on a passed ball. Fellow senior, catcher Matt Byars laced an RBI single up the middle as the Spartans got within 4-1.
The three-run deficit was short-lived as Maryland plated a pair of runs in the home half of the sixth for the Terps' final scoring of the day.
MSU closed within 6-2 in the eighth as junior catcher Will Salter smacked his first career home run on a solo shot to left field. The Spartans had two more on in the eighth after Salter's home run, as well as two on in the ninth, but both rallies fizzled, leaving the final score 6-2.
Michigan State returns home to host Toledo on Wednesday, April 26 at 3:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
Fans should stay tuned to www.MSUSpartans.com, or follow MSU Baseball on twitter at statebaseball for any schedule updates.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Blohm,Tyler (7-3)
L: Gonzalez, Andrew (3-3)
S: Selmer,Ryan (5)
Batting:
RBI: Durkin, Dan 1
SH: Roskelly, Chad 1
SF: Durkin, Dan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelley, Bryce 1
CS: Kelley, Bryce 1
HBP: Durkin, Dan 1
Batting:
2B: Dunn,Nick 1 ; Nickens,Madison 1
RBI: Gum,Brandon 1 ; Dunn,Nick 1
SH: Gum,Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gum,Brandon 1 ; Lee,AJ 1
SB: Gum,Brandon 1
HBP: Costes,Marty 1
