May 19, 2005

Box Score

Rindge, NH - The Adelphi baseball team allowed just four earned runs and gave up just eight hits but could not get anything going against #2 Southern Connecticut State, falling 6-1 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional. With the loss #3 Adelphi falls to 25-18 overall and will play in the elimination game tomorrow, while Southern Connecticut improves to 29-12.

5-10 lefty, Matt Hennessey (Wallingford, CT) took the mound for Southern Connecticut to open the top of the first inning. Hennessey dispatched the first two batters easily before Brian Rath (Wantagh, N.Y.) doubled down the left field line. But Hennessey worked his way out of trouble getting Tom Sicari (Westbury, N.Y.) to fly to center to end the inning.

Junior Roger Mischel (Whitestone, N.Y.) took the mound in the bottom of the first for Adelphi. Mischel immediately found himself in trouble, giving up hits to two of the first four batters and loading the bases for Bob Petino (Hamden, CT), who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right center. Mischel struck out the next batter to end the first with the Owls leading 1-0.

Hennessey continued to work his way through the Panther line-up in the second inning, retiring the side in order. While Mischel settled down, forcing two ground outs to short and a shallow fly to center to end the second inning.

Adelphi went down in order again in the third as Hennessey struck out the first two batters swinging and induced a ground out to short to end the top of the third. Tyler Call (Hopkinton, MA) singled up the middle and then stole second to open the bottom of the third inning. Call moved to third on a one out single by Mel Davis (Bristol, CT), bring up Jeremy Terni (Uncasville, CT) who made the score 4-0 with a home run over the fence in left.

Mischel worked his way out of the inning without further trouble, ending the third inning with Southern Connecticut ahead 4-0. Rath picked up his second hit of the game, sending a lazy fly over the head of the Owl second baseman to give the Panthers their second runner of the game with one out. Sicari sent a deep drive to left center but Steve Gatewood (Franklin, MA) made a nice catch at the fence to rob Sicari of an extra base hit and the next batter lined to third to end the top of the fourth.

The Owls managed to get two men on base with two out in the bottom of the fourth but Mischel struck out Davis looking to end the inning. Hennessey continued to cruise in the top of the fifth, sitting the first two hitters down in order before giving up a two out walk to Henry Daverin (Levittown, N.Y.) followed by a double to Ricky Nicholson (Massapequa, N.Y.), giving the Panthers runners on second and third. But the Adelphi rally ended quickly as Tom Cali (Shirley, N.Y.) grounded to second, stranding two runners and ending the top of the fifth.

The Owls could not manage more then a walk in the bottom of the fifth as the Panthers kept the score 4-0 in favor of Southern Connecticut. Doug Anderson (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) opened the top of the sixth with a single up the middle, but was picked off at first as Hennessey retired the Panthers without incident.

Southern Connecticut tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth when Jon DeRubeis (Milford, MA) stroked a two out double down the left field line scoring Call to make it a 5-0 game. The Owls fifth run ended the day for Mischel who was replaced by Tom Cinelli (Farmingdale, N.Y.), who gave up a two one RBI single to Terni, making the score 6-0 Southern Connecticut and ending Cinelli's day.

Brian Neal (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) relieved Cinelli and got Southern Connecticut to ground into a fielder's choice to end the sixth. The Panthers got something going in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. Adam Kipling (Smithtown, N.Y.) worked a walk and Nick Testani (Williston Park, N.Y.) singled back through the mound before the Owls stifled the rally, getting a ground out to short to end the top of the seventh.

Neal kept the Panthers close, issuing one walk but striking out two to end the seventh with Adelphi trailing 6-0. For the second straight inning Adelphi rallied, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Rath grounded into a fielder's choice, driving in a run to make the score 6-1. But Hennessey extinguished the Panther rally, stopping the damage at one run.

Adelphi shut the Owls out in the bottom of the eighth, retiring Southern Connecticut on three straight fly outs to enter the ninth trailing 6-1. Down to their last three outs the Panthers still could not figure out Hennessey as the Panthers managed one hit in the top of the ninth, falling 6-1.

"Southern Connecticut is a good team, their pitcher threw hard and threw strikes," Scala said, "We hit the ball hard and had we got one or two through the gaps it might have been a different game."

Hennessey (7-2) was credited with the win, while Mischel (3-2) collected the loss. Adelphi will return to action on Friday, May 20 at 9:30 am when they take on the loser of the #1 Franklin Pierce and #4 UMASS-Lowell match-up.