TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University baseball team (8-21, 3-5 CAA) hosted Northeastern (23-7, 6-2 CAA) Saturday afternoon, holding onto an early eight-run lead for a 10-8 victory over the Huskies at John B. Schuerholz Park to set up the series rubber match tomorrow.
 
After a quiet two and a half frames, Towson broke open the game with five runs on five hits in the bottom of the third. Northeastern responded with one run each in the fourth and fifth innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers added five more runs on five hits, highlighted by Elijah Dickerson's grand slam to extend the lead to 10-2. The Huskies chipped away at the Tiger lead with two in the sixth, three in the seventh and one in the ninth, but Max Simpson forced the final out of the game with two runners on to secure the 10-8 victory over the Huskies.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson starter Jake Michel (2-0) recorded the win, allowing two unearned runs on four hits in his 5.0 inning outing. Michel added four strikeouts. Reliever Max Simpson registered his first save of the season with six earned runs allowed on six hits and one walk issued. Simpson fanned six.
• Northeastern starter Aiven Cabral (1-3) registered the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits in 2.1 innings pitched.
• Towson outhit Northeastern 16-10 in the game, with six Tigers picking up multiple hits. Brady Nathison led the charge with a 4-for-5 day with an RBI and run scored. Elijah Dickerson went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Cole Stefano, Bryce Frederick, Taye Robinson and Brian Heckelman each picked up two hits.

 
How it Happened:

• Towson started the scoring in the third inning with five runs on five hits. Bryce Frederick led off the frame with a solo home run to left field. With runners on second and third, Taye Robinson poked a single through the left side for another run. Brian Heckelman singled up the middle on the following at-bat to plate a third run. After a Northeastern pitching change, Nathison doubled to left field to make it a 4-0 game. Wagner's RBI ground-out to follow made it a five-run lead.
• In the next frame, a fielding error at third base allowed a runner from second to score to make it a 5-1 game.
• In the top of the fifth, MacGregor doubled to center field with a runner on second to cut the Tiger lead to three.
• In the home half, the Tigers put up another five-run frame. With runners on second and third, Stefano singled to center field for the first of the frame. A single to follow from Frederick loaded the bases, setting up Dickerson's grand slam to left field for a 10-2 advantage.
• After a single by Mike Sirota in the sixth, Jack Doyle hit a two-run homer to left field to pull the Huskies within six.
• The Huskies made it a three-run game in the seventh inning off the bat of MacGregor, who hit a three-run homer to right field.
• Northeastern added one more run in the top of the ninth off Gregory Bozzo's pinch-hit solo home run. After two singles later in the frame, Simpson forced a fly out to right field for the final out of the game, stranding two Huskies on base.

 
Inside the Numbers:

• Six Tigers notched multiple hits on the afternoon. Dickerson leads the team with such 16 games. Frederick (7), Robinson (6), Stefano (6), Heckelman (4) and Nathison (2) each increased their totals.
• Dickerson picked up his third multi-RBI game this season, one of six Tigers with at least three such games.
• Robinson and Dickerson each extended their hitting streaks to six games, the longest active streaks on the team.

 
On Deck:
The series concludes tomorrow with the series rubber match at 1 p.m. at John B. Schuerholz Park.