TOWSON, Md. (Interstat) — The Monmouth Hawks erupted for five first-inning runs and later broke open a tight Colonial Athletic Association contest with a six-run fifth inning to defeat the Towson Tigers 12-5 on Friday evening at John B. Schuerholz Baseball Complex.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, saw both teams collect 13 hits, but Monmouth’s came in bunches to secure just its third win of the season against seven losses. Towson evened its record at 5-5.

The most important sequence of the game came in the top of the first inning, setting an immediate tone. Monmouth’s Sam Saucke and RJ Mustaro worked walks off Towson starter Matt Lynch before third baseman Simmi Whitehill launched a three-run homer to right field. After a Chris Walsh single, Jake Howlett followed with a two-run shot, also to right, staking the Hawks to a 5-0 lead before Towson recorded an out.

The Tigers responded in their half of the first against Monmouth starter Ryan Mealy. Nich Francuzenko singled and scored on a two-run homer by catcher Brian Heckelman. Keldrin Rodriguez walked and later scored on an RBI single by Nick LoBello, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

The game remained close until Monmouth’s decisive fifth-inning outburst against reliever Aden Knowles. Saucke drove in a run with an RBI double, and Mustaro followed with an RBI single. After a stolen base, Whitehill singled and stole second. Walsh then delivered a two-run single through the right side, and catcher Brendan Buecker capped the rally with a two-run homer to left-center, pushing the Hawks’ lead to 11-3.

Towson answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run homer by Rodriguez, scoring Heckelman who had singled. That brought the score to 11-5, but the Tigers would get no closer.

Monmouth added an insurance run in the eighth when Walsh singled home Saucke, who had been hit by a pitch and stolen third.

Kevin Opanel earned the win in relief for Monmouth, providing four scoreless innings after taking over for Mealy in the sixth. Opanel allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out one, effectively silencing the Towson offense to secure the victory.

Aiden Sites took the loss for Towson, though he entered in the sixth inning after the damage was done. He allowed one run over three innings of work.

Walsh led Monmouth’s offensive charge, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two stolen bases. Whitehill finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two stolen bases, while Buecker was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Saucke scored three runs.

For Towson, Francuzenko went 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Heckelman was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, and Rodriguez drove in two runs with his homer.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 5-2 Towson victory, though the organization’s ELO system gave Monmouth a 59% probability to win.

The two teams continue their three-game CAA series on Saturday afternoon.