ARLINGTON, Va. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a chaotic start and a masterful relief effort, the Towson Tigers weathered an early offensive onslaught from George Washington and held on for a 7-6 victory over the Revolutionaries on Wednesday afternoon and evening at Barcroft Park.

The contest turned dramatically in the bottom of the first inning. After Towson was held scoreless in the top half, George Washington sent 10 batters to the plate against Tigers starter Jake Michel, scoring five runs on four hits, three walks, and a wild pitch. Conlon Walker’s two-run double down the right field line was the biggest blow, and Nick Mullen added a sacrifice fly to cap the rally, staking the Revolutionaries to a 5-0 lead.

Towson manager Matt Tyner then turned to reliever Vincent Salvo with one out in the first. Salvo, named the top star for Towson, extinguished the rally and became the stabilizing force for the Tigers. He delivered 3 1/3 hitless innings, allowing no earned runs and providing the bridge to the back of the bullpen.

His work allowed the Towson offense to mount its comeback. Brian Heckel led off the third inning with a solo home run to left field to put the Tigers on the board. The rally continued in the fourth against Revolutionaries reliever Ben Marks. After a double by Nick LoBello and a walk to Max D’Alessa, pinch-hitter Nich Francuzenko delivered a two-run double to right field, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Frank Adamski followed with an RBI single to score Francuzenko, pulling Towson within a run.

The Tigers completed their comeback and took the lead for good in the fifth, capitalizing on George Washington miscues. With runners on second and third, LoBello grounded out to shortstop, driving in Coy Allman to tie the game. Yariel Rodriguez then scored the go-ahead run on a fielding error by the shortstop. D’Alessa later scored on another error, giving Towson a 7-5 advantage.

From there, the Tigers’ bullpen took over. Following Salvo, Austin Perando worked 2 2/3 perfect innings, striking out five. Matt Lynch earned the save with three innings of one-run ball, striking out five, though he allowed a run in the eighth on an RBI double by Mullen that made it 7-6.

George Washington threatened in the ninth, putting runners on first and second with one out against Lynch. But the right-hander induced a pop-up to third from Chris Walsh and a flyout to center from pinch-hitter Gino Marmo to end the game.

The win improved Towson’s record to 6-7, while George Washington fell to 6-9. The Tigers’ relief trio of Salvo, Perando, and Lynch combined for 9 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out 10.

Towson finished with eight hits, led by Francuzenko’s two RBIs. George Washington out-hit the Tigers 11-8, with Mullen and Rogan collecting multiple hits and Mullen driving in two. Revolutionaries relievers Drew Harris and Matt Bruno each threw two scoreless innings in the loss.

The victory defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 6-4 George Washington win and gave the Revolutionaries a 64.7% probability of victory.

Towson opens a three-game series at Northeastern on Friday. George Washington begins a three-game home set against Rhode Island on Friday.