Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. – The Adelphi University baseball team picked up it's fourth victory of the season with a 4-0 defeat of the LIU Post Pioneers on Tuesday afternoon on William J. Bonomo Memorial Field. The loss drops LIU to 4-3 overall as the Panthers improve to 4-6 on the year. Michael Ceparano got his first collegiate win, throwing 6.0 innings, allowing just two hits and sriking out six.

The Brown and Gold offense was led by Nick Zito who scattered singles to each outfield position, followed by teammate Cliff Brantley who doubled down the left field line in his first at-bat, picking up an RBI in the process. Richard Mejia accounted for one hit and two RBIs in the victory. The Pioneers had only two hits one by Angel Vidal, the other by Rick Alessi. The Green and Gold bullpen scattered nine hits, allowed four runs and struck out five along the way.

Ceparano faced four batters in top of the first, allowing one hit, as the last Pioneer popped up to Vincent Sharkey. The Panthers got two on base in the bottom of the first in scoring position with one out but a Mejia fly ball would give the Pioneers the chance for a double play, catching Brantley leaving early from second.

Sharkey reached on an error and Brandon Stahl legged out a double that turned into a triple on an error by Kenny Daley in centerfield in the bottom of the third inning. Brantley got his second hit of the game that scored Stahl and Sharkey to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

The top of the fourth started troublesome for the Panthers as Ceparano hit the leadoff batter followed by a walk. Fortunately he got his third strikeout of the game and pitched Daley into a double play to end the inning.

Four scoreless innings passed before the Panthers increased their lead over LIU Post. Pioneer errors in the bottom of the eighth allowed the home team to get two base runners in scoring position before Mejia lined a single to center field, scoring both Kevin Hutzel and Brantley.

John Donnelly came to the mound in the top of the ninth finish off the non-conference contest. Two Pioneers would find themselves stranded on the basepaths as Donnelly forced David Groeneveld to fly out to center, struck the next out looking and finished the inning with a weak ground ball.

Up Next
The team returns to action on Thursday, March 20 in a non-conference contest against Nyack College at 3:30 p.m. on William J. Bonomo Memorial Field. Follow the action by following us on Twitter (@AUPanthers) or by clicking here for livestats.