Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University softball team is off to a winning start at home in 2019.

After a winless West Coast swing, the Panthers (2-7) scored a doubleheader sweep of the NYIT Bears (0-2) on Janet L. Ficke Field on Saturday, 5-3 and 4-2, in their first live game action in two weeks. 

The bats of senior Lauren Sandelier and rookies Ashley Lombardi and Emily Whitman helped power the Panthers to victory, as they combined for six RBIs on the afternoon. 

Sandelier drove in the first three runs for the Panthers in game one, as she lofted a sacrifice fly to right in the first inning and added a two-run double in the in the fifth, while Lombardi followed her in that frame with a two-run double of her own that made it 5-0 Panthers. 

In game two, Lauren O'Neill's two-run single kicked off Adelphi's scoring in the second inning, before Whitman's second triple of the day chased her home and helped Adelphi open up a 3-0 lead before Emily Turney's double in the fifth added one more. 

Ally Muller and Nicole Mengel each picked up their first wins of the season in the circle, with the former throwing 5.2 innings of no-hit softball in game one in a complete game effort with eight strikeouts.

Mengel also had a quality start, as she scattered five hits and three walks across six innings, but Jessica Vadala ultimately shut the door on the Bears' comeback effort in game two, as she entered in the seventh following a leadoff single and eventually retired the final batter with the tying runs on base.

The Panthers return to road action on Tuesday, as they travel to Lakewood, N.J. for a non-conference doubleheader at Georgian Court University beginning at 2 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.