Irvine, Calif. -- Seven runs in the third and fourth innings earned the Adelphi University softball team a split of a double-header against the Concordia Irvine Golden Eagles on Tuesday afternoon, as the Panthers claimed the second game 7-3 in five innings due to darkness after falling 4-1 in the opener. 

Danielle Cutuli, Megan Lewis and Stephanie Staiano each drove in a pair of runs for the Panthers in the second game, with the final RBI going to Brenna Martini. Lewis went a perfect 2-2 at the plate in the nightcap and scored a run, with Staiano going 2-3 with a run scored. Krista King went 2-4 with a run scored in the leadoff spot in game two, while Nicole Camera went 1-3 with two runs scored and a walk, after homering to account for Adelphi's only run in the opener.

Game 1
Kristin Fealy matched zeros with Grayson Harvey through the first three innings of the opening game, before Camera gave Adelphi (1-2) a 1-0 lead when she launched her first home run of the season into left center. The Golden Eagles (10-0) struck back in the bottom of the fifth against Jessica Vadala, after Fealy departed after issuing a leadoff walk. With the bases loaded, Amy Eilefson delivered the game-tying sacrifice fly, before Hanna Miller parked Vadala's 1-2 offering into left for a three-run homer to give the home team the lead.

Adelphi got the leadoff man on in both the sixth and seventh innings, but managed just four hits total in Grayson's complete-game effort in which she struck out eight Panthers.

Game 2
Lindsay Mapes found herself in early trouble in game two, as she surrendered a leadoff triple and RBI single to put the Panthers (2-2) in a 1-0 hole in the bottom of the first. Facing a second and third situation with one out, however, Mapes got the next two hitters to strike out swinging to end the threat. 

The Panthers responded in the top of the third, after Christina Palmenteri reached on a fielding error by the second baseman and King legged out an infield hit to set the table. With two outs after Palmenteri was erased on a fielder's choice, Staiano lined a 3-2 pitch down the right field line to score King and tie the game before Lewis singled to right on the first pitch to put the Brown and Gold in front. Adelphi tacked on two more in the frame, after Nicoletta Cuccio worked out a walk to set the stage for Cutuli's two-run, two-out single that put Adelphi ahead, 4-1. 

After Mapes retired the side in order on just seven pitches, the Brown and Gold went back to work in the fourth inning after Palmenteri singled, King reached on a fielder's choice with help from a throwing error and Camera singled to load the bases with nobody out. After a pitching change, Martini singled to drive in Palmenteri but King was thrown out at the plate for the first out; from there, Staiano doubled to left center to score Camera and Lewis brought her in with a sac fly to to right center to make the score 7-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth. The Golden Eagles (10-1) added two runs in the bottom of the frame with two outs before Mapes struck out the final batter of the fourth, and retired the side in order to make it an official game in the fifth before it was called for darkness.

The Panthers continue their swing through California on Wednesday, February 17th when they take on California Baptist in a double-header at 8pm and 10pm EST.

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About Adelphi University Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past six seasons has collected 16 regular season conference titles, 21 tournament championships, 27 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 President's Cup twice (2013 and 2014), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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