Miami Shores, FL – The Adelphi University baseball team recovered from a 5-0 deficit to Southern Connecticut University to rally back with eight unanswered runs to earn the 8-5 non-conference victory in the Florida trip finale today at Barry University.
Kory Cassara launched two homeruns on the day, including the game-winner for the Panthers (2-5), to go 3-for-4 from the plate with three RBIs.
Alex Zykoff recorded four RBIs on two hits while
Eric Hassell scored two runs and
Vincent Sharkey continued his outstanding start with two more hits and a run today.
Mike Cranston earned the victory on the mound by pitching the final 2.1 innings with no runs allowed and two strikeouts.
Southern Connecticut (8-8) had two different individuals manufacture three hits in Nick Baviello and Brandon Docimo with each adding a RBI. Ethan Joyce produced two RBI while Jake Lieberman scored two runs.
The Owls scored two in the top of the third to take an early lead; first scoring a on sacrifice pop up to foul territory from Joyce followed by a Baviello RBI double. Julian Sobin nearly added to the lead with a solo homerun in the fourth inning, however, the Panthers touched him out at home after Sobin did not touch the plate while rounding the bases. The run was recovered later in the inning with a Docimo RBI triple.
Docimo was on the scoring end of the next run for Southern Connecticut, touching home on a Lieberman single. Lieberman came around to score two batters later on a sacrifice from Baviello to push the advantage to 5-0 in the sixth.
The Panthers stormed back in the bottom of half of the sixth to tie the game at 5-5 with five runs on five hits. Cassara started the rally with a two-run homerun to left after Sharkey singled to lead off. Adelphi got the next run during Hassell's at-bat, as the sophomore reached on an error that scored
Robert Vani. Zykoff had the equalizing hit with a two RBI single to left field after the bases were loaded.
After Cranston threw one pitch for the final out in the top of the seventh, Cassara gave the Panthers the lead in the bottom half with his second homer of the day. With one out in the inning, the freshman sent a 1-1 pitch into nearly the same area over the left field fence as his first to mark the eventual game-winning run.
Zykoff added insurance in the bottom of the eighth with another two RBI knock, scoring Hassell and
Michael Stack after the two previously singled. Cranston worked around a leadoff double to Baviello to get the Owls in order and pick up the victory.
The Panthers return home from Florida with two scheduled Northeast-10 Conference doubleheaders this weekend, both starting at 12:00 pm. Adelphi hosts Merrimack on Saturday followed by Assumption on Sunday.
