NEW ORLEANS, La.  ? Although Towson University pounded out 16 hits and led for most of the game, the Tigers (0-1) fell victim to a ninth inning rally by the University of New Orleans (1-0) as the Privateers came from behind three times to pull out a 12-11 victory in the season opener for both teams at Maestri Field on Friday afternoon.

      The Tigers took an 11-9 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, thanks to a two-run single by senior second baseman Gary Helmick.

      In the bottom of the ninth, junior righthander Nate Curd struck out Blake Doty to open the inning. Then, Curd ran into trouble. Second baseman Justin Edwards started the rally with a double to centerfield. Pinch hitter Kevin Berry followed with a double to right field, cutting the Privateers' deficit to 12-11. When rightfielder Jay Morris doubled to centerfield, pinch runner Rodarrick Jones raced home with the tying run. Moments later, centerfielder Ryan Eden lined a 1-2 pitch down the third base line for the Privateers' fourth consecutive double and a 12-11 win.

      “Nate really pitched well,” said Tiger Coach Mike Gottlieb. “He was in complete control until the ninth inning. Then, he got a few pitches up and it cost him the game. Unfortunately, I had to bring him into the game in the fourth inning which was earlier than I would have liked. But, I was very pleased with the way we swung the bats, especially in our first game of the year.”

      In the top of the first inning, the Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead when junior centerfielder Kevin Collins singled with one out and scored on a two-out double by senior catcher Jason Stifler.

      Towson increased its lead to 3-0 in the second inning as they scored a pair of runs on two hits. Sophomore shortstop Chris Wychock led off with a single and senior Aaron Gabrielian drew a walk. After both runners moved up a base on an infield grounder, Kevin Collins lined a two-run single to left field.

      However, the Privateers came right back and tied the game in the bottom of the second inning as they loaded the bases with no outs and scored three times to make it a 3-3 tie.

      In the top of the third, Towson re-claimed the lead by scoring two runs. Stifler led off with a single and went to second base on a wild pitch. With one out, he scored the go-ahead run on a single by Wychock. After Wychock stole second base, he made it a 5-3 lead when he scored on sophomore Steve Freinberg's run-scoring single.

      In the fourth inning, the Tigers upped their lead to 8-3 by adding three more runs.

Kevin Collins started the inning with a single and stole second base. He moved to third base on a single by his brother, Matt Collins. A sacrifice fly by Stifler scored Collins from third base. With two outs, Wychock singled for his third hit as Matt Collins moved to second base. Matt Collins came around to score on an RBI single by Gabrielian before Wychock scored on a wild pitch to give Towson an 8-3 lead.

      However, the Tigers' five-run lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Privateers scored five runs on three hits off starting pitcher Zach Umberger and relief pitcher John Schmeer. A three-run double by Jerad Comarda with two outs tied the game at 8-8. At that point, Curd was called on to pitch and he struck out Alan Harris to end the inning.

      In the top of the sixth, Stifler led off with a double to left field. After he advanced to third base on a fly ball to rightfield, Wychock hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, giving Towson a 9-8 lead.

      Curd held New Orleans scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when UNO scored an unearned run to tie the game for the third time.

      In the top of the ninth, the Tigers rallied to take an 11-9 lead. Junior third baseman Steve Yarsinsky led off with a single and Wychock followed his fourth hit of the game. After pinch hitter Max Kelly struck out, Freinberg walked to load the bases. But, freshman Ben Winter struck out, leaving it up to Helmick. His two-run single to rightfield put the Tigers ahead, 11-9.

      Starting in place of injured shortstop Nick Natoli, Wychock went four-for-four with four runs scored and two runs batted in. Stifler went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI's. Kevin Collins was 3-for-6 with two RBI's while scoring two runs.

      Curd suffered the loss for Towson. He pitched 4.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on eight hits. He walked only batter and had six strikeouts.

      Towson and New Orleans continue their season-opening four-game series on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. (CST).