Garden City, N.Y. - In over six hours of softball on Thursday afternoon, Adelphi University scored their second regional sweep in as many series since beginning the season on Janet L. Ficke Field, this one coming against Long Island foe LIU Post.
The Panthers scored a marathon victory in game one, as they rallied from 3-0 down in the bottom of the seventh inning, only to win in the bottom of the 12th as
Emily Turney snuck a two-out single through the left side to score
Christina Rizzi and give Adelphi a 4-3 win.
In game two, a three-run second was all the insurance
Ally Muller needed in the circle, as the freshman hurled six innings of one-run softball to nab an eventual 6-2Â win.
Game 1
What began as a pitchers' duel ended in a walk-off between the two Long Island rivals, as the only run of the game for the first four innings came courtesy of a second-inning home run over the right-center field fence for Abbey Fortin off
Kristin Fealy.
After recording a pair of hit in the first and third innings but not scoring, the Panthers (4-9) were largely stymied by Hannah Olshevski until their last licks in regular.
The Pioneers (4-6) extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth off Fealy and
Jessica Vadala thanks to a two-run double for Pioneers' junior catcher Julia Seader, but Adelphi had a rally of its own planned for the bottom of the seventh.Â
After Turney reached on an error to begin the inning,
Lauren O'Neill followed with a one-out single, but the Panthers were down to their final out after
Krista King's grounder put both in scoring position. Nonetheless,
Nicoletta Cuccio and
Brenna Martini came through in the clutch, as the junior legged out an infield single to break up Olshevski's shutout, and Martini dumped a first-pitch single to center field to tie the game.Â
Vadala hurled a career-high seven innings in her relief appearance, besting her previous career-best of 6.2 innings which she threw last season in a 10-inning victory for the Panthers over Southern New Hampshire. The junior scattered six hits, four walks and four strikeouts over her afternoon, and didn't surrender a run for her last six.
On three occasions over the course of her outing with the Pioneers threatening, Adelphi intentionally walked Seader to take the matchup against Fortin, which went in the Panthers' favor each time as she finished 1-for-6 at the plate.
Nonetheless, it was
Nicole Mengel who was the beneficiary of the walk-off win for the Panthers, as the freshman earned her first career win after escaping a two-on, one-out jam with a double play in the top of the 12th.
Game 2
Adelphi jumped out to a lead much earlier in game two, as a one-out triple for Cuccio - which saw King tagged out at the plate, nonetheless led to a run after Martini drove her in with a single down the right field line. The Pioneers nonetheless hit back in the top of the second off Muller, though, on doubles by Fortin and Breanna Klaiber to tie the game at 1-1.
That was all the freshman surrendered on her afternoon, as she hurled six innings behind six strikeouts, allowing just three hits. Adelphi took the lead for good in the bottom of the second, as a walk, an error and a passed ball led to three runs, and the Panthers tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth on another Pioneer error in the field and an RBI single by King.
Mengel worked in and out of trouble in the bottom of the sixth in her second appearance, loading the bases, allowing an RBI single to Seader and bringing the tying run to the plate, but the Pioneers were unable to push the game any closer.
Pacing the offense in both games, Martini went 5-for-10 with three RBIs in the doubleheader, while Cuccio went 4-for-7 with three walks, two RBIs and two runs scored.Â
The Panthers are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 17 when they host the Lions of Georgian Court University in non-conference. double-header action at 11 a.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.
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