Syracuse, N.Y. - In the start of a pivotal four-game series, the Adelphi University baseball team lost two gutwrenching games to NE10 rival Le Moyne College on Thursday at Dick Rockwell Field.

A walk-off grand slam by Le Moyne's Brody Keneston caused the day to unravel for the Panthers, who fell to 17-23 overall and 4-10 in NE10 competition.

Game 1: Adelphi 6, Le Moyne 8
Even after leaving five runners on base through the first two innings, the Panthers still got on the board first in the opener, on a Jack Wishner RBI single in the third inning.

Wishner, who entered today's action with 10 two-out RBIs, brought in a team-leading .375 batting average (24-for-64) with runners in scoring position.

The early lead was short-lived, however, as Le Moyne's Jason Boule answered in the home half of the third with a two-run shot to left.

Adelphi initially turned the game on its head in the seventh, when the 'Cats re-took the lead on the strength of some aggressive baserunning.

Alec Maag first drove in the tying run with an RBI single, before Kyle Olson took second and third, and eventually home when the Le Moyne catcher's throw to third went awry.

Later in the same inning, the Panthers successfully executed a double steal -- which resulted in Tim Feliz trotting home on another errant throw to extend Adelphi's lead to 5-2.

It all fell apart for Adelphi in the ninth. Even after limiting the Dolphins to one run in his first 1.2 innings, Coleton Reitan surrendered the game-winning grand slam to Keneston.

Game 2: Adelphi 5, Le Moyne 7
With Jacob Pedersen making his first start of the 2023 season, the Panthers found themselves climbing out of an early 6-0 ditch.

In the midst of a funk where he has mustered three RBIs in his last 11 games, Michael Draskin got the Panthers back into the conversation with a two-run gapper in the third.

Steven Murphy relieved Pedersen out of the bullpen in the fourth and fired three innings of one-run ball to keep the 'Cats within striking distance.

The top of the lineup came through again in the fifth. A one-out single by Anthony Cipri set the wheels in motion for a two-run rally that closed the gap to 6-5.

Feliz and Cipri -- who both went 4-for-5 on the day -- got another turn in the seventh trailing 7-5, but Feliz popped out as the winning run to end the game.

Eight of Adelphi's nine batters produced a hit in the nightcap, with Catuosco and Jose Matos also tallying multiple hits (2-for-4).

The four-game series between Adelphi and Le Moyne concludes tomorrow (Apr. 28) from Syracuse with another 12 p.m. first pitch.