April 2, 2011

Game One/Game Two

Garden City, N.Y. -

The Adelphi University baseball team hosted the Warriors of Merrimack College this afternoon in a conference doubleheader. Adelphi took both games, 5-1 and 2-1, for the sweep. The Panthers improves to 16-7-1 and 6-2 in the NE-10, while Merrimack drops to 7-11 and 0-6.

Game One

For the Panther, senior right-hander Robert Nixon tossed a no-hitter, striking out nine and giving up one earned run. Offensively, junior Justin Farnum and freshman Richard Mejia each went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Merrimack would strike first, getting on the board in the top half of the fifth inning when Mark O'Flynn drove in Joe Santos with an RBI sacrifice fly to left field. Senior Richard McCarren would even the score for the Panthers in the sixth inning when he scored from third on a wild pitch.

Adelphi would break the game open in the eight inning, scoring four runs on five hits and one Merrimack error. Junior Craig Matteo would score the first of four runs when he crossed home from third on a wild pitch. Farnum and Mejia would each collect RBI hits, while junior Jamie Liebowitz would follow them with an RBI double of his own to center.

For the Warriors, Joe Mantoni suffered the loss, striking out six in 7.1 innings of work, while O'Flynn drove in the lone Merrimack run.

Game Two

For the Panthers, sophomore William Miller finished 1-for-3 with a solo home run, while graduate student Omar Velazquez went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Senior Mike Scudero had a solid outing in the no-decision, striking out seven batters in 8.2 innings.

Miller would get the Panthers out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when he sent a towering shot over the scoreboard in left field.

Merrimack would eventually tie the score at 1-1 in the top of the eighth inning when Eddie Newton sent an RBI single up the middle.

With the score still deadlocked at 1-1 in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Panthers received a lead-off triple from Velazquez which was then followed by a Matteo single. McCarren would then be intentionally walked to load the bases for Mejia who sent an RBI single into right field for the game-winning hit.

For the Warriors, Mantoni finished 2-for-3, while Tim Curran went 2-for-5. On the hill, Mike Laracy fanned eight in nine innings for the no-decision.

The Panthers return to action on Tuesday, April 5, when they host the Yellow Jackets of American International College at 3:30 p.m.