Tigers edge out Stony Brook with 2-run eighth inning comeback

By Henry Ortiz, Contributing Writer

On May 3, the Towson Tigers faced off against the Stony Brook Seawolves. In nail-biting fashion, Towson edged out a 9-8 victory to win the series with a game to go on Sunday.

In the first inning, Towson starter Max Simpson navigated early traffic on the basepaths, stranding two Seawolves on second and third. 

In the bottom half of the first, the Tigers got on the board quickly. A leadoff opposite field home run for Tigers shortstop Jordan Peyton put Towson up early 1-0. 

The Tigers built onto their lead in the second. A two RBI double from Tigers third baseman Casey Bishop and sac fly from Peyton gave Towson a 4-0 lead.

“Well I think guys are starting to believe in themselves a little bit and I think hitting is contagious, once it gets going it’s hard to stop it,” said head coach Matt Tyner. “We won at Campbell ugly, I mean very very ugly, but for some reason it was kinda like a fuse that has ignited us.”

In the third inning, the Seawolves went down 1-2-3 as Simpson notched his second strikeout of the day. In the bottom half of the frame, Towson chased Stony Brook starter John Rizzo after the righty gave up two more runs on a two-run single from Tigers right fielder Ben Nugent.

However, Stony Brook was not going away silently. In the fifth, Seawolves first baseman Erik Paulson and third baseman Nico Azpilcueta combined for three runs to make it 6-3 Tigers. 

Stony Brook’s resurgence continued into the sixth inning. A Paulsen grand slam flipped the game on its head, turning a 7-4 lead for Towson into a 8-7 deficit.

In the eighth inning time was running out for the Tigers. A once promising game was turning into another heartbreaking loss.

In a time of need, two Towson captains made the difference. An RBI from a fielder’s choice for Bishop and an RBI single from Peyton gave the Tigers a 9-8 lead heading into the ninth inning.

In the ninth, Tigers reliever capped off three shutout and hitless innings of relief with a win, handing Towson their first series win since the Tigers won the series up in Delaware in the beginning of April.

Peyton and Bishop both had three RBIs while AJ Kolb and Nugent both had three hits, along with two runs. Seils earned his first win of the season pitching three scoreless, hitless and walkless innings of relief.  

Towson’s record now stands at 17-30.