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

In its most critical game of the season to this point, the Terrapin baseball team lost in fitting fashion.

A 2-1 loss to the Blue Devils on Sunday gave the Terps their eighth one-run ACC loss of the season and a series defeat in Durham, N.C., that leaves them on the outside of the ACC tournament picture with just six conference games remaining.

Coming into yesterday's matchup having split the first two games of the weekend, the Terps were a half game ahead of Duke for the eighth spot in the ACC standings. The top eight teams in the league make the tournament.

But the Terps could not score until the ninth inning and at one point did not get a man on base in 13 straight at-bats. In the end, junior pitcher Dan Gentzler beaned Duke's Nate Freiman with the bases loaded to force in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

"Bottom line, is it was a great college baseball game," coach Terry Rupp said. "It was a well-pitched game on each side. We had a few opportunities there we didn't take advantage of, and in the end, they capitalized."

Things weren't going right all weekend.

Twice Sunday, the Terps ran themselves out of innings by making the third out on a failed stolen base attempt. In the top of the eighth inning, with his team down 1-0, senior second baseman Steve Braun was thrown out at second base.

Senior centerfielder Nick Jowers, who came into the series leading the team in hitting, went 0 for 4 yesterday and 1 for 12 on the series. After winning Friday night's series opener 12-8, the Terps offense was silenced.

The Terps lost 10-2 on Saturday, unable to compete against Duke star pitcher Christopher Manno.

"[Manno] was deceptive and very difficult to hit," Rupp said. "And then, of course, they had a big start there, scored a lot of runs early and kind of knocked us out of it."

Yesterday's 2-1 loss wasted senior starting pitcher Kevin Biringer's best outing of the season. Biringer struck out seven Duke hitters through six shutout innings, but after giving up a leadoff single and committing a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, he was replaced.

Gentzler came on in relief, and Duke scored the first run of the game on an RBI groundout. In the ninth inning, Rupp pinch hit freshman Bill Rice, who hit an infield single off Duke closer Alex Hassan to score pinch runner Scott Swinson and temporarily tie the game.

But Duke came back in the bottom of the inning to score the winning run and give the Terps another heartbreaking loss in a season full of them.

Yesterday's loss means the Terps will have to win upcoming games against Boston College and N.C. State and hope the teams in front of them lose if they want to make the tournament.

But after the game Rupp said his team is still in position.

"We know who the teams are that we are battling against, and it's going to come down to our very last game against N.C. State," Rupp said. "I still think this thing is up in the air."

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