Manchester, N.H. - It was a classic championship game between the conference's two best teams, but ultimately, the Adelphi University softball team fell heartbreakingly short of a third straight Northeast-10 Conference championship on Saturday.
Watching the home team rally twice in its last at-bats, Adelphi was upended by Saint Anselm College, 4-3, in 10 innings at the South Athletic Field.
In what was a pitchers' duel throughout, the Panthers (31-18) built two leads against NE10 Pitcher of the Year Morgan Perry in the contest, with the first breaking a scoreless tie on one swing from
Lauren O'Neill after six complete innings.
With two outs in the top of the seventh and with
Ashley Lombardi on first after a walk, the sophomore lined her first career home run over the right field fence to plate two, putting Adelphi three outs away from a hat trick of NE10 titles.
However, the Hawks (37-8), the 24th-ranked team nationally in Division II and the top seeds out of the Northeast Division, would not go quietly, rallying with two outs in the seventh to force extra softball against
Ally Muller.
Erin Thompson led off with a home run, a line drive to right in nearly the same spot that O'Neill parked hers, before leadoff hitter Shannon Colson singled up the middle to drive in pinch-runner Kat irwin and tie the game at two. Irwin was the legs on the bases for Kat Stackrow, who walked immediately following Thompson's home run earlier in the inning.
Undaunted, however, Adelphi reclaimed its lead in the top of the 10th, after Muller stranded the winning run on base in both the eighth and ninth frames. Lombardi singled to center field to lead off, and alertly took the extra base on a misplay by the Hawks in the field, before O'Neill moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt.
After pinch-hitter
Nicole Mengel struck out, the stage was set for senior
Nicoletta Cuccio, who delivered the go-ahead single to left, and put Adelphi back on top, 3-2.
It was not to be for the Brown and Gold, however, as a double, a single and a stolen base put the tying and winning runs in scoring position to start the 10th, setting the stage for Jordan O'Connor to deliver a game-winning single to right center for the Blue and White.
Lombardi and O'Neill each recorded two hits on the afternoon, each going 2-for-3 at the dish as the former scored two runs. Both Muller and Cuccio were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts throughout the weekend.
The Panthers, ranked sixth in the region in the last edition of the NCAA Division II regional rankings, will next learn if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the full bracket is revealed on Monday, May 6 at 10 a.m.
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.
