Box Score
Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University baseball team used a five-run sixth inning to defeat Dowling College 10-5 at William J. Bonomo Field on Wednesday. The Panthers improve to 2-0, while the Golden Lions, ranked ninth in the East region in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Regional Poll, drop to 0-1.
Senior
Vinny Gaetano provided the exclamation point for Adelphi in the fifth inning, belting the first pitch he saw as a pinch hitter for a three-run home run well over the left field fence. Gaetano also ripped an RBI double in the eighth inning as he finished the day 2-2 at the plate with four RBI. Junior
Kevin Hutzel had two singles including the go-ahead base hit in the sixth that drove in two runs and put the Panthers ahead 5-4.
Junior
Brandon Stahl smacked a two-run homer in the fifth inning, while senior
Anthony Zarrella torched a double to give Adelphi eight extra base hits in the first two games.
The two times sent a combined 15 pitchers to the mound in the contest.
Jeff Andersen started for Adelphi and went 2.2 innings, and sophomore
John Bivas earned the win in relief by retiring the final batter of the sixth inning on a ground out.
James McCormack threw 1.1 innings of spotless baseball, and
Dillon McNamara slammed the door by striking out the side in the ninth.
For Dowling, East Coast Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year Tyler Badamo got the start on the hill and went just one inning, promptly striking out the first two Adelphi batters before surrendering a double to Zarrella and an RBI single to
Richard Mejia. JJ Bessell took the loss in relief, allowing five runs in 1.1 frames.
Mejia's first inning base hit gave Adelphi an early lead, but the Golden Lions scored three runs in the third, capped by a two run bomb by Rob Veltre. A one run single by Andrew Abreu in the fourth made it 4-1 for Dowling, but Stahl, Hutzel and Gaetano combined to drive in seven runs over the next two innings to put the Panthers in front 8-4.
An Ian Schneider sacrifice fly put another run across for Dowling in the seventh, but Hutzel and Gaetano answered back in the eighth.
Rob Burns drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a balk, advanced to third on a passed ball and cruised home on Hutzel's line drive to left field. Gaetano then unleashed a one-out double that rolled to the fence and allowed Hutzel to score from first.
McNamara got the call in the ninth and was untouchable, retiring the side on strikeouts to give him five K's in two innings of work so far this season.
The Panthers return to action on Saturday when they host Mercy College for a non-league contest. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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