TOWSON, Md. – The expected thunderstorms forecast for Tuesday afternoon never occurred at the Towson Softball Stadium.
 
However, the nightcap of the Towson-Villanova non-conference doubleheader featured a deluge of home runs, inundation of hits, torrent of runs and a rally to remember. After dropping the opener, 3-2, Towson stormed back from a late four-run deficit with some snap, crackle and pop to claim a thrilling, 11-9 victory before an excited sun-splashed crowd.
 
In raising their overall record to 31-14, the Tigers displayed championship qualities of heart, poise, tenacity and resiliency to earn a split. As usual, the Tigers received sterling performances from a committee of contributors.
 
How It Happened Game Two

• Both teams combined for 20 runs.
• Towson had a .417 average (5-for-12) with runners in scoring position.
• Brook Miko and Holiday Cahill led Towson with three hits each.
• Miko, Kendyl Scott and Daria Edwards scored two runs each.
• Miko was a beast as she drove in four runs.
• Miko's two-run, two-out homer in the bottom of the fifth inning punctuated the Tigers five-run fifth inning and gave them the lead for good, 10-9.
• Cahill followed an inning later with a solo shot to give Towson some much needed insurance.
• Trailing 9-5 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Towson's explosive offense detonated like a shaken can of soda.
• Towson batted around in the fifth inning producing five runs on four hits.
• Cassidy Meyer started Towson's fifth inning uprising by hitting her first collegiate homer with one out to slice Villanova's lead to 9-6.
• Towson's pinch-hitters (Meyer and Jessica South) were 2-for-2 in the fifth inning, which fueled the Tigers comeback.
• Scott had a pinch-hit single and Edwards had a sacrifice fly to bring the Tigers within, 9-8. That set the stage for Miko.
• After leading 4-0 after two innings, Villanova scored nine of the game's next 10 runs.
• In sprinting to a 3-0 lead Towson sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning.
• Miko and Cahill each had RBI doubles in the first inning.
• Stracher contributed her fifth sacrifice fly of the season for her 53rd RBI.
• Edwards hit her eighth home run of the season in the fourth inning.
• Megan Dejter earned the victory with 3.2 innings of strong relief pitching.
• Dejter didn't allow a hit in the final two innings and retired the final six batters she faced.
• Dejter threw four pitches in the seventh inning to secure the victory.
• Villanova's Dana Morris had three hits and Jessica Angersbach drove in three runs.

 
How It Happened Game One

• Villanova took advantage of four Towson errors by scoring a pair of unearned runs.
• Edwards, Stracher, Cahill and Drennan had hits for the Tigers.
• Stracher's leadoff single in the second inning was converted into Towson's first run of the game when Edwards beat out an infield single and scored on a throwing error.
• That tied the game at 1-1.
• The Wildcats scored twice in the third inning to open a 3-1 lead.
• Drennan cut Towson's deficit in half when she ripped a double off of the left field wall that scored Cahill in the bottom of the fourth inning.
• Pitcher Ambar Hickman allowed one earned run.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Stracher tied Missy McMormick's single-season program record for RBIs with 53.
• Miko has homered in two of her last three games.
• This was the third time this season Miko has driven in at least four runs in a game.
• This was Miko's fourth three-hit game of the season and her ninth multi-hit game of the season.
• This was Cahill's fifth three-hit game of the season and her 11th multi-hit game of the season.
• In the second game, Towson led off two innings with home runs: Edwards in the fourth and Cahill in the sixth.
• Cahill hit her 23rd career homer to tie Stef Streets for second all-time in program history.
• Cahill led Towson with four hits during the doubleheader.
• Towson extended its winning streak to 36 when scoring at least seven runs.
• The Tigers are 23-1 this season when scoring at least six runs.
• Towson has hit at least one home run in 29 games.
• This was the fourth time this season Towson had at least four homers in a single game.
• Towson has 56 home runs.
• Towson has scored double-digit runs 12 times.
• This was the 17th time that Towson had double-digit hits in a game.

On Deck
Towson returns to conference play this weekend when it hosts Delaware in its penultimate Colonial Athletic Association series. The Interstate 95 rivals play a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Saturday and conclude the series Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m.