Garden City, N.Y. - A Senior Day sweep of visiting Le Moyne College on Sunday secured the Adelphi University softball team the regular season title for the Northeast-10 Conference's Southwest Division.
Entering Sunday's play, the Panthers (30-17, 20-6 NE10) held a one-game lead over second-place New Haven, and needed to seal both wins against third-place Le Moyne to avoid losing a first-place tiebreaker to the Chargers, against whom Adelphi lost two of the three games countable towards the league standings.
Behind complete game efforts from
Ally Muller and
Nicole Mengel in the circle, and 12 runs on 18 hits across two games, the Brown and Gold did just that, with an 8-0 and 4-1 doubleheader sweep.
Adelphi pounded out the offense against the Dolphins (21-18, 13-9 NE10) in game one, scoring a run in four of the five run-ruled innings, as six different players notched an RBI.
Rookie
Emily Whitman plated two, with an RBI triple in a three-run second and the game-ending infield single in the fifth, on a game-high 3-for-4 afternoon with two runs scored of her own.
In the nightcap, sophomore
Hannah Pineda drove in a pair, on a first-inning sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout in the fifth, while Adelphi's two starting seniors in
Nicoletta Cuccio and
Lauren Sandelier combined for three hits and scored three runs across the two games.
Prior to the start of the doubleheader, Cuccio, Sandelier,
Kristin Fealy and
Jessica Vadala were honored for their four-year contributions to the Panther softball program.
By finishing 16-2 in division this spring, the Panthers secure the regular season title on their side of the NE10 for the sixth time overall, and fifth straight year.
The NE10 regular season concludes around the league on Sunday, April 28, after which Adelphi will learn its official seeding and opponents for next weekend's conference championship.
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.
