Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – In a game that matched the longest in Norfolk State baseball program history, Towson's Colin Dyer hit a two-out, three-run triple in the top of the 14th inning to lift the Tigers to a 6-3 win over the Spartans on Saturday at Marty L. Miller Field.

Dyer hit a first-pitch fastball from Jonathan Mauricio into the gap in left-center to plate three runs, two of which reached base on intentional passes. Towson (3-9) reliever Kyle Stricker (2-0) then held the Spartans (5-9) off the board in the bottom of the frame to finish the four-hour, 23-minute marathon.

NSU had played a 14-inning game just once previously, in a 1-0 win over Rider on Feb. 17, 2012.

The Spartans trailed 3-1 before knotting the score in the bottom of the sixth inning. From there, the two teams' bullpens matched each other scoreless frame for scoreless frame until the 14th. Towson's Colin Gimblet led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Chris Henze, who had four hits on the day, was then walked intentionally to set up a double-play possibility.

Richard Miller moved both runners up a base with a groundout for the second out of the inning. NSU then walked left-handed hitter A.J. Gallo intentionally to set up a righty-on-righty matchup. But Dyer lofted a triple into the gap to finally break the deadlock.

Henze hit an RBI single in the first and Dyer added one run in the fourth to make it 2-0 in favor of Towson. Kyle Vaas' sacrifice fly in the fourth brought NSU within 2-1, but the Tigers went up 3-1 in the sixth when Henze led off with a triple and scored on Miller's single.

The Spartans battled back to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth. NSU first baseman Brian Beard led off with a solo home run, the first of his career. NSU then manufactured a run as Syeed Mahdi walked, Alex Mauricio reached on an infield hit and two wild pitches brought Mahdi home with the tying run.

Both pitching staffs buckled down from there. NSU righty Michael Parmentier pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and striking out a career-high six. Jonathan Mauricio, who started at N.C. Central on Wednesday night, came in and shut the door on the Tigers in the 10th through 13th innings before Towson got to him in the 14th. Jonathan Mauricio (1-2) allowed four hits and three runs but also struck out a career-high six batters in the loss. 

Three NSU pitchers – starter Devin Hemmerich (5.1 innings, five strikeouts), relievers Parmentier and Jonathan Mauricio – combined to fan 17 Towson batters, two shy of tying the NSU single-game school record.

But Towson's bullpen was just as strong. Paul Beers pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, and Stricker pitched 4.2 scoreless with three strikeouts for the win. NSU had excellent scoring opportunities in the 11th and 13th innings. In the 11th, Justin Lee doubled with two outs, then Denathan Dukes and Angel Rosario walked to load the bases. But Stricker got Beard to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat.

In the 13th, NSU catcher Chris Ford reached on an infield single to start the inning and Lee sacrificed him to second. Dukes was then intentionally walked for the second time before Stricker got Rosario to bounce into an inning-ending double-play.

NSU stranded 15 runners on the day, and Towson left 14 on base. The Tigers out-hit NSU, 13-11.

Beard finished 2-for-6, scored two runs and stole a base in addition to his home run. Dukes was 2-for-5 with a stolen base and Alex Mauricio went 2-for-6.

Henze was 4-for-6, Gimblet went 3-for-6 and Dyer was 2-for-6 with four RBI for Towson.

The rubber game of the series begins at noon on Sunday.