Miami Shores, Fla. - Comebacks have been the name of the game for the Adelphi University baseball team in Florida over the past week, and the Panthers scored their third comeback victory of their southern slate against the Molloy College Lions on Tuesday, 9-7, on the campus of Barry University.
In a back-and-forth game which saw two ties and three lead changes, Adelphi (6-3-1) trailed 7-4 after six, but put together a five-run seventh inning to score its fourth victory in five games against a regional foe thus far during its 10-day Florida tour.
Brandon Morse and
Tyler Becker drove in a pair of runs on back-to-back base hits with two outs to make it a one-run game, before Morse later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 7-7. An error in the field on a grounder from the bat of
Kory Cassara led to the go-ahead run, and the senior catcher scorer to cap the inning on
Michael Cattani's RBI double.
The Panthers had previously tied the game in the third, 4-4, on a pair of RBI singles by
Brett Malm and Becker, following scattered runs in the previous innings which saw a tie and two lead changes after two innings. The Brown and Gold led 2-0 headed to the bottom of the second, before Molloy scored four in the bottom of the frame to take its first lead.
The Lions (5-9) increased their lead in the bottom of the fourth, 7-4, against
Mark Novello and
Austin Cole on five walks and a single, with all seven runs being charged to Novello in his first career start. With the bases loaded, the Panthers allowed three runs on three walked batters, increasing the deficit to three runs.
In the bottom of the seventh,
Max Steele replaced
Josh Rovner on the mound. Both relievers gave up zero runs in their combined 2.2 innings on just one hit, as Rovner was credited the win for Adelphi for the first of his collegiate career.
Ed Baram closed the game for the Panthers with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first save of the season and second of the junior's career.
After nine innings, Adelphi had two players finish with two RBIs, totaling seven as a team. Morse and Becker went a combined 5-for-9 at the plate with three RBI and three runs scored in the fifth and sixth slots in the lineup to propel the Panthers on offense, while Malm also had a two-hit day at the plate, driving in two and scoring one run for the visiting team.
The Brown and Gold are back at the diamond tomorrow against Lynn University, with three more games left to play before returning home. The game will start at 3:00 p.m.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 25 regular season conference titles, 26 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at www.aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
