April 16, 2005

Game One/Game Two

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi baseball team took a pair of conference games from St. Thomas Aquinas this afternoon in Garden City, New York. The Panthers cruised to a 13-5 win in game one, getting a complete game from Adam Kipling (Smithtown, N.Y.). Adelphi needed an eighth inning rally to squeak out a 17-14 win in game two. With the wins the Panthers improve to 16-13 overall and 9-5 in the NYCAC, while St. Thomas Aquinas falls to 7-16 overall and 5-7 in the conference.

Game One
Adelphi blew the game open from the start in game one, scoring five runs in the first on six hits. St. Thomas Aquinas outscored the Panthers 3-1 over the next two innings to pull within 6-3 before Adelphi tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 10-4 lead.

The Panthers scored three more in the bottom of the eighth to claim a 13-5 win. Kipling went the distance, giving up 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out six to pick up his second win of the season.

Game Two
Adelphi looked to be in control early, jumping out to another early lead, 5-0 after three innings. After five innings the score was 9-1 and starter Rinaldo Fable (Franklin Square, N.Y.) was cruising. But the Spartans came alive in the top of the sixth and seventh, scoring a combined 11 runs on just nine hits to move out front, 12-10.

Michael Thompson (Bethpage, N.Y.) held St. Thomas Aquinas scoreless in the top of the eighth to keep the Panthers alive. Doug Anderson (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) started things with a single, followed by two Adelphi outs then a Matt DeWitt (North Bellmore, N.Y.) single. Frank Alesia (Valley Stream, N.Y.) changed the game with one swing of the bat, sending the ball over the left field fence and scoring three runs to put Adelphi on top 13-12.

The Panther's two out rally continued as Adelphi tacked on four more runs before the Spartans could stop the bleeding. In the top of the ninth St. Thomas Aquinas put a scare into Adelphi, scoring two runs on two hits, before Thompson closed the door to pick up his third win of the season.

Adelphi returns to action on Sunday, April 17 when they play host to St. Thomas Aquinas at 1:00 pm in Garden City, N.Y.