West Haven, Conn. - In a doubleheader which was already played under unique circumstances, a rare tie followed up a victory for the Adelphi University softball team on Saturday afternoon in its Northeast-10 Conference opener against the Hawks of Saint Anselm College.
Adelphi (7-11-1) played as the designated home team on the campus of the University of New Haven, which served as a neutral site for the NE10 contests, as Janet L. Ficke Field proved unplayable following a heavy coating of snow from Winter Storm Toby on Wednesday.
The Panthers pounded out 13 runs on 15 hits to out-slug the Hawks over five innings in game one, and rallied from a 7-2 deficit in the nightcap as the sun set - literally.
Krista King's two-run single in the bottom of the sixth tied the game, which was called after the inning concluded due to darkness.
Game 1
A seven-run first inning turned a 2-0 deficit into a lead Adelphi would never relinquish, scoring in all four innings in which they took the plate. Singles for
Nicole Camera,
Emily Turney and reigning NE10 Rookie of the Week
Lauren O'Neill helped drive in five, before King's two-run triple capped the Brown and Gold scoring as Adelphi batted around.
A bases-loaded walk to
Lauren Sandelier added another run in the bottom of the second, but the Panthers put up a second crooked number in the third as Turney's second two-run single of the day followed up RBI singles for
Christina Rizzi and
Kailah Konkel to give Adelphi a 12-3 lead after three.
Five batters in the Adelphi lineup had at least two hits in the win, as King and Camera combined to go a perfect 7-for-7 with five runs scored and four RBIs between them. Though
Kristin Fealy started for Adelphi in the circle, the offensive outburst came in support of
Jessica Vadala, who earned her first win of the season behind four innings in relief.
Game 2
Adelphi again struck first to begin game two with two early runs in support of
Ally Muller on base hits by Camera and Rizzi. However, a pair of three-spots against the freshman in innings two and three put the Hawks ahead as they looked to salvage a split.
Trailing by five, Adelphi's comeback began in the fourth with some small ball, as two infield singles helped lead to two runs. On an infield single by
Lauren O'Neill, the Hawks threw the ball around the infield which led to both
Elisabeth Berard and Konkel scoring, making it a three-run game at 7-4.
A single for Rizzi, a walk to Turney and a pinch-hit single for Sandelier helped Adelphi load the bases in the bottom of the sixth, and clutch hitting pulled them into a tie. Back-to-back base hits for O'Neill and King from behind the the count plated three Panther runs to bring them all the way back, but Adelphi stranded two in scoring positing as they looked to win in a walk-off before dark.
The Panthers will return to the confines of Charger Field tomorrow, as their scheduled doubleheader against Saint Michael's College will also take place at New Haven. Action will follow the conclusion of the Chargers' double-header, with a soft start time of 3 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.
