Garden City, N.Y. - Despite a valiant comeback attempt after trailing 7-0 through the first two innings, the Adelphi University baseball team dropped the opening game of its three-game set with Bentley University Friday afternoon by a final score of 12-9 at William J. Bonomo Memorial Field.
Bentley (15-16) worked three full counts against Adelphi ace
John Rizzo in the first inning, which helped lead the Falcons to a five-spot in the opening frame. An inning later, Liam Sears went deep to stretch the visitors' lead to 7-0.
Jacob Pedersen kept the Panthers (14-21) within striking distance after taking over for Rizzo mid-batter in the second. Pedersen allowed only one earned run in five innings on four hits while collecting four strikeouts.
As Bentley led 9-2 at the midway point of the contest, the 'Cats began to mount their comeback.
Cooper Johnson and
Anthony Cipri both grabbed RBIs in the sixth, trimming the deficit to just three at 9-6.
The home team was applying serious pressure by the eighth inning, loading the bases with none out against the Bentley bullpen.
With the tying run approaching the plate, Adelphi produced three runs to close the gap to 10-9, before a strikeout of
Joe Pellegrino stranded the tying and go-ahead runs on base.
In the top half of the ninth, Bentley's Stan DeMartinis III hit a ball through the middle of the infield, driving in two key runs to extend the road lead to 12-9. Those runs ended Coletan Reitan's scoreless streak of 13.0 innings.
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow (Apr. 22), when they play their remaining two against Bentley in a doubleheader at 12 noon.
In recognition of their 30th anniversary following the program's first College World Series appearance, the 1993 Adelphi baseball team will be commemorated between games. Additionally, a banner will be unveiled by the Adelphi dugout, in honor of former head coach
Ron Davies, who passed away earlier this year.
Anyone looking to attend must park in the Nexus lot until 12:00 p.m. tomorrow due to a private event on campus.
