West Haven, Conn. - Despite a late comeback, the Adelphi University baseball team fell in heartbreaking fashion in round one of the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs on Tuesday afternoon, as the Southwest Division's No. 2 seeds, the University of New Haven, moved on to the second round in walk-off fashion, 3-2.
Adelphi (26-18-1) tied the game 2-2 in the seventh inning, but ultimately fell in the final frame on a bases-loaded walk, after a leadoff double and two intentional walks loaded the bases and the Panthers fell in a jam they could not pitch out of.
Back-to-back hits from Lucas Terwilliger and Tyler Warshefskie allowed Adelphi to score its first run of the game off Lawrence Cicileo's RBI single to the shortstop in the seventh, and two batters later, Kory Cassara's pinch hit RBI single to left field tied the game and chased New Haven's starter, David Palmer, who entered the game with a sparkling 0.84 ERA.
The Panthers scattered eight hits over nine, with Terwilliger and Cicileo leading the way, each going 2-for-4. Ed Baram suffered the loss in relief of starting pitcher Daniel Taggart for the Panthers, hurling three innings but allowing the double to Tom Walraven which led off the ninth ahead of David Butler.
Taggart pitched five frames, fanning four batters in that time.
New Haven was the first to get on the board, going up 2-0 on the Panthers in the second inning. With two runners on base, a groundout by Dylon Grzenda picked up the Chargers' first run. One batter later, an RBI bunt single by James Myers gave the home team the 2-0 advantage.
The Panthers, ranked sixth in the last edition of the NCAA Division II East Region rankings, will now await to see if they receive an at-large bid to the tournament.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 27 regular season conference titles, 29 tournament championships, 41 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.
