Box Score New Haven, CT - After drawing the #4 seed in the Southwest Division at the conclusion of regular season play, the Adelphi University baseball team traveled to #1 SW Southern Connecticut State University to compete in the first round of the Northeast-10 Tournament Wednesday afternoon. A scoring spree in the top of the first inning helped the Panthers to a 10-4 victory over the hosts and they will advance to the Championship weekend, hosted by Southern New Hampshire. 

The entire Adelphi lineup contributed to today's win, as they were led by senior Kevin Hutzel, who went 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored. Cliff Brantley went 3-for-5 with one run, and Richard Mejia had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with two runs scored and one RBI. Robert Vani, Eric Hassell and Kyle Ambury each had two RBIs in the victory.

The top of the first inning got out to a fast start as the Panthers loaded the bases with no outs on ack-toback-singles by Brantley and Hutzel followed by a Mejia walk. With one out, Robert Vani drew a walk to plate Brantely giving Adelphi a 1-0 lead. Just one at-bat later, the Panthers captured a 3-0 lead as Eric Hassell singled up the middle to score Hutzel and Mejia. Vani later came around to score on an Owl miscue, giving the visiting squad a 4-0 lead as the first half of the first inning came to a close. 

The Owls couldn't capitalize on bases loaded with no outs, as Joe Breen hit into a double play, plating one SCSU runner to creep within one of Adelphi, 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth. The Adelphi bullpen held the hosts to just two hits in their final three frames. 

Hutzel started the top of the seventh off with a double, advancing to third by means of a Mejia single. Hutzel then scampered home on a wild pitch by Rocco Cundari, making the score 6-4 in favor of the Brown and Gold. Vani with his first hit of the ball game in the next at-bat drove a ball to the right side, picking up an RBI in Mejia to make the score 7-4, and ending the day for Cundari. 

Holding the momentum from earlier innings, the Panther bat didn't slow as Kyle Ambury blasted a two-run double off of reliever Mike Yerina to the fence to plate Hassell and Vani to take a 9-4 lead over the host and number one seeded Owls. Capping off the seventh with one more run, Vincent Sharkey singled to score Ambury. 

Jonathon Mulford completed 7.2 innings of work for his fifth win of the year, posting two 1-2-3 innings, scattering eight hits, while allowing no walks and collected six strikeouts in the victory. Reliever Matt Abramowitz registed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit to close out the game. 

The team earns a spot in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship slated to start Friday afternoon on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. The #4 seed in the Southwest division, Adelphi will face #3 in the Northeast, Stonehill College at noon. All games from the four-team, double-elimination portion of the championship will be broadcast online at no cost at northeast10.tv.