Garden City, N.Y. -- It was a tale of two games for the Adelphi University softball team in its home opening double header vs. NYIT on Wednesday, as the Panthers blanked the Bears 6-0 in the first game before rallying late in the nightcap for a 5-3 win for a sweep of their fellow Long Island squad on the afternoon. 

Nicole Camera had a banner afternoon for the Panthers (4-8), as the sophomore went 3-7 across the two games at the plate and drove in a pair in the opener, while getting the win in the circle in the second game in relief. Lindsay Mapes picked up a win and a save on the afternoon, as she hurled a two-hit shutout in the opener with eight strikeouts, while getting the save in game two and pitching the final two innings. Christina Palmenteri went 3-3 in the opener with two RBIs, while also driving in the Panthers' fifth run in the second game, while Fallon McCarthy drove in the tying run and Brenna Martini plated the go-ahead run in game two. 

Game 1
The pitching was the story early in the first game, as Mapes and Carly Wade combined to match zeros for the first three innings. Adelphi had its first chance to score in the contest in the third, as Palmenteri singled to center with one out and Krista King singled deep in the hole at shortstop to put two on. However, Wade ended the threat by retiring both Nicoletta Cuccio and Martini. The Panthers would not be denied in their next half inning, however, after Camera singled to lead off and stole second before Megan Lewis doubled her home to put Adelphi up 1-0. 

With two out, Lauren Sandelier reached on Wade's fielding error to put runners at the corners and set the stage for Palmenteri, who singled down the left field line to score Lewis and double the Adelphi lead headed to the fifth. To her credit, Mapes wiggled out of trouble in the inning as the first two NYIT (0-2) batters reached base to put the tying runs on, before inducing a lineout, a strikeout and a groundout to end the frame. 

The Panthers broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, as they plated four runs to put the game out of reach. With Cuccio and Martini at the corners, Camera doubled them both home to make it a 4-0 ballgame, before Danielle Cutuli, McCarthy and Palmenteri all singled consecutively to plate the final two runs. With more than enough insurance, Mapes allowed just one baserunner in the final two innings to pick up her third win of the season.

Game 2
The Panthers fell behind early in game two, as NYIT's Christina Pantages hit a two-run homer off Kristin Fealy in the top of the first inning to take their first lead of the afternoon -- but got one run back in the bottom of the inning as Sandelier singled with one out and was doubled home by Martini to halve the deficit. 

Camera entered the circle for the Panthers in the third, and despite surrendering a run in the fourth to put NYIT ahead 3-1, got the victory as Adelphi rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth and take the lead in the fifth. In the fourth, Camera herself led off with a single before Stephanie Staiano also reached base; Cutuli drove in Camera and both she and Staiano advanced into scoring position on the throw with one out. In the next at bat, McCarthy singled to left to tie the game at 3-3 for her first RBI of the year before Palmenteri and King were retired to briefly preserve the tie.

After Camera struck out a pair en route to retiring the side in the fifth, the Panthers went back to work and quickly reclaimed the lead when Sandelier smacked a leadoff single to left and Martini doubled her home for the 4-3 lead. Adelphi manufactured a fifth run in the sixth, as Cutuli singled to right and stole second to lead off, before McCarthy sacrificed her to third and Palmenteri drove her in on a groundout. Mapes picked up the save, tossing two innings with two strikeouts. 

The Panthers return to Janet L. Ficke Field on Saturday, as they continue non-conference play vs. Dowling in a doubleheader slated to begin at 12 pm.

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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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