Garden City, N.Y. -- The Adelphi University baseball team picked up its first walk-off win of the season, and first when trailing after seven innings, en route to a sweep of the College of Saint Rose on Saturday afternoon. The bats and TJ Santiago did the work for Adelphi in game one to the tune of a 9-0 final, before the Panthers rallied for two in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win in the nightcap.

The Panthers (19-14, 9-6 NE10), who outscored the Golden Knights 29-5 over the course of the three-game series, saw Brett Malm, Steven Withers and Robert Vani all homer across the double-header, as the trio combined to drive in seven runs across Saturday's two games.

Santiago hurled his second complete game of the season in the opener, allowing just three hits and striking out seven, while Ed Baram, David Butler and Michael Tarpey threw up four scoreless innings in relief of Daniel Taggart in game two, keeping Adelphi in the game for the walkoff. 

Game 1
A pair of Golden Knight errors helped Adelphi score three in the opening inning, and Adelphi led 7-0 after two thanks to a two-run double by Vani and a two-run jack from Malm in the second.

That was more than enough offense for Santiago, who allowed his first hit of the game, a bunt single, in the fourth, before picking Andrew Pedone off at first to end the inning. The senior faced the minimum through seven innings, as he induced a double play to erase a walk in the fifth, finishing his day under 100 pitches. 

The Brown and Gold added a run in the fourth and sixth, as Vani drove in another and Withers hit his first home run of the season over the center field fence to cap the victory. Withers went 3-5 at the leadoff spot in game one with three runs scored, while Thomas Colombo and Tyler Warshefskie also recorded two hits apiece. 

Game 2
With two down in the second inning, Michael Shine homered to left for Saint Rose, giving the visitors their first lead of the three-game set since the fifth inning of Friday's contest. However, the lead didn't last for long as Vani singled and Malm doubled to put two in scoring position to begin the fourth, and Colombo drove in Vani with a deep fly to right to tie the game at 1-1. 

Undaunted, the Golden Knights tagged Taggart for two in the fifth on two extra base hits and a sac fly to lead 3-1, and the combination of Alex Tomlinson and Caleb Gregg kept Adelphi off the board until Vani homered to left center in the eighth to make it a 3-2 ballgame. 

Down to their last at-bats, the Panther rally began in the ninth as Warshefskie worked a four-pitch walk to lead off, before Jonathan Iadevaia followed with a bunt single to set the table. Brandon Morse followed with a single to left that bounced over the third baseman's head to score pinch-runner Lawrence Cicileo to tie the game at 3-3, and Michael Stack sacrificed the two over as the Brown and Gold looked to win the game.

Saint Rose closer Carmine Vricciariell was one out away from sending the game to extras after striking out Withers, but Eric Hassell legged out a grounder to short, forcing the a rushed throw in the dirt that marked him safe at first and let Iadevaia score the winning run.

The Panthers return to action on Monday, April 17 when they travel to Saint Thomas Aquinas for a 3:30 pm single game.

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past seven seasons, has collected 21 regular season conference titles, 25 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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