Box Score Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University baseball team upset #28 Southern Connecticut State University via a walkoff hit-by-pitch to take a 4-3 victory in the team's Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division opener at William J. Bonomo Field on Wednesday. The late-inning victory was the third walkoff win for the Panthers this season and the second by a plunked batter, dating back to an 8-7 win over Saint Thomas Aquinas in 10 innings on March 4. Adelphi improves to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in the NE-10, while the Owls slide to 17-7 overall and 3-2 in league play.

SCSU built a steady lead early on, working a 3-0 advantage after five innings, but the Panthers scored single runs in four out of the last five frames to rally and claim the win. Sophomore Richard Mejia provided the big bat, smacking a game-tying solo home run to lead off the seventh and capping a 2-4 day with two runs scored and a pair of RBI. Senior Jamie Liebowitz also ripped two hits including a ninth inning leadoff double off the left field wall that sparked Adelphi's rally.

Senior Michael Carletti got the start on the mound and went four innings in the no decision, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Stephen Bove, Chris Pabisch and James McCormack teamed up to pitch five innings of shutout relief, with McCormack earning the win in 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball.

For the Owls, Sam Greenberg and Kyle Cummings each knocked two hits and drove in a run, while Rocco Cundari threw seven strong innings for a no decision. Cundari allowed three runs on four hits with three strikeouts, and mowed down the first 12 Panthers he faced, 11 of which were by groundouts. Pat Egan was saddled with the loss in 1.2 innings of relief.

The visitors jumped on the board with an unearned run in the first and tacked on lone runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but Liebowitz led off the bottom of the fifth with an infield single to break up Cundari's no-no and shift the momentum in favor of the Panthers. Liebowitz moved to second on a wild pitch and came around to score on a base knock by Mejia to put Adelphi on the board. Next inning, freshman Vincent Sharkey laced a leadoff hustle double down the third base line, sprinted to third on a ball to the backstop and scored on an RBI groundout by senior Craig Matteo.

Mejia then delivered the game-tying solo blast to lead off the seventh, tying the game at 3-3. An inning and a third of scoreless baseball later, the Panthers came to bat in the bottom of the ninth with the score still knotted. Liebowitz doubled to left, and Mejia looked to bunt pinch runner John Campbell to third. Egan's throw to first was off the mark, pulling the fielder off the bag and putting runners at the corners with no outs. The Owls walked Justin Farnum intentionally to load the bases, but a strikeout followed by a forceout at the plate made for two quick outs. Senior Lucas Romeo dug in to the box looking to end the game, and wore an errant pitch to force in the winning run and give Adelphi its second walkoff win in the last three games.

The Panthers continue their stretch of NE-10 Southwest Division competition when they host Le Moyne on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.