Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University softball team kicked off Northeast-10 Conference play in a big way on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers (8-11, 2-0 NE10) swept the Stonehill College Skyhawks (3-9, 0-2 NE10) by 7-2 and 6-4 final scores on Janet L. Ficke Field.

Big days for Lauren Sandelier and Emily Turney helped power the Panthers to a win in game one, as they went a combined 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored in the middle of the Panther order. 

Sandelier roped a two-run double to left which turned a 3-0 Adelphi lead into a 5-0 edge in the fifth inning of the opener, before Turney launched her first home run of the season in the sixth, doubling up her RBI total for the game after she capped a two-run opening stanza for the Panthers with an RBI single. 

In game two, four Panthers notched multi-hit games, led by a three-RBI afternoon for Nicoletta Cuccio. Emily Whitman went a perfect 3-for-3 in the leadoff spot, with two runs scored and an RBI, while Elisabeth Berard and Lauren O'Neill combined to go 4-for-6 with two runs scored.

In the circle, Ally Muller won her fourth straight decision with eight strikeouts across seven innings of work, while Nicole Mengel picked up a win in game two.

The sophomore allowed four runs, and worked around five walks and two hit batters, but eventually was relieved by Kristin Fealy, who pitched three scoreless innings to shut the door on Stonehill's comeback effort in game two. 

Trailing 6-1, Stonehill worked two walks and took advantage of two Panther defesive miscues to begin the fifth inning against Mengel, which led to the first of three runs the Skyhawks scored in the frame.

After Fealy entered, a wild pitch and a base hit led to two more runs charged to Mengel, but the senior scored three strikeouts in the inning to keep the Panthers ahead, and finished the last two innings of the game scoreless to seal the win.

The Panthers are back in action on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Bentley University to Ficke Field for an NE10 doubleheader at 12 p.m.

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About Adelphi Athletics
A regionally and nationally competitive NCAA Division II institution located in Garden City, N.Y., Adelphi University has been a proud member of the Northeast-10 Conference since 2009.

Winners of 16 NCAA Division II National Championships and four NE10 Presidents' Cups, Panther athletes have excelled at the conference, regional and national level, both on the field of play and in the classroom. In turn, the Adelphi athletic department is committed to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, equity and success where its student-athletes can thrive both on campus and off.

Stay connected with Adelphi Athletics by following the Panthers at aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and wear your Panther pride by shopping official Adelphi Panthers gear at our licensed team store.