Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Allison Akers

For the second weekend in a row, the Terrapin baseball team won a Friday-night game against an ACC opponent, meaning it had another chance to win a crucial conference series.

But also for the second weekend in a row, this time against No. 3 North Carolina, the Terps failed to win on either Saturday or Sunday, meaning another series loss and a 2-7 ACC record.

Unlike at Wake Forest, where the Terps let two one-run games get away, they allowed North Carolina to cruise to a 14-1 win Saturday and a 19-1 win Sunday.

"[North Carolina] is a very good team, but you make them better offensively when you're pitching behind in the count like we were," coach Terry Rupp said. "We gotta put the ball in the zone and make them hit the baseball, because we got guys who can field behind them."

The Tar Heels' talent, both at the plate and on the mound, was on full display Saturday and Sunday.

A lineup anchored by All-Americans Dustin Ackley and Tim Federowicz forced Rupp to use eight different pitchers, including backup catcher Mike Moss, on Saturday, then crushed Terp starter Jensen Pupa on Sunday.

The final offensive numbers for the last two games in the series for the Tar Heels: a combined 33 runs on 38 hits.

A five-run North Carolina fourth inning on Sunday made the score 7-0 and put the game out of reach for the Terps, who were stymied by freshman pitcher Matt Harvey, who was a third-round pick by the Dodgers in last summer's MLB draft.

"He mixed it up well, kept us off balance and kept the ball low," senior center fielder Nick Jowers said of Harvey, who pitched six innings of one-run ball. "I don't know what their coaches do. They must have something really good going with their pitching coach, because they really hit their spots all weekend."

The one bright spot for the Terps came Friday, when sophomore starter Scott Swinson tossed eight innings, allowing only two runs, to lead the Terps to a 4-2 victory.

"I was kind of scared going out there, to be honest. I know they have a bunch of great hitters," Swinson said. "I was able to hit my spots today and throw four pitches."

Junior third baseman Mike Murphy hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his fourth homer in three games, to put the Terps up 3-0.

After the game, Murphy said the Terps would have to come through with the series victory to validate Friday night's win, something they failed to do the week before.

"It's big if we win tomorrow, or the next one," Murphy said. "We've done this before, so we gotta take the series now."

But the Terps couldn't mount a challenge, and they'll have to wait until next weekend's matchup with Clemson for the next shot at winning their first ACC series of the season.

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