Garden City, N.Y. - With the book set to close on the month of March, the Adelphi University baseball team picked up a key series victory against NE10 rival American International College Saturday afternoon at William J. Bonomo Memorial Field in Garden City.

Despite losing their first game to AIC (8-16, 3-6 NE10) in three years, the Panthers (10-12, 3-5 NE10) prevailed brilliantly in the nightcap.

Game 1: Adelphi 3, AIC 15
The Panthers found themselves in a similar deficit twenty-four hours later, after AIC tagged Adelphi starter Carlos Acosta for a five-run second inning.

And like twenty-four hours ago and many times before, Adelphi went on the offensive when trailing.

Although the 'Cats stranded two runners in scoring position in the first, Joe Pellegrino continued to sizzle with a third-inning RBI double that played a part in the hosts cutting the deficit to 5-3.

The Brown and Gold fell victim to another big AIC inning though in the fourth, stamped by a Chad Lavelle three-run homer that widened the visitors' lead to 10-3.

In all, Adelphi sent five pitchers to the mound in the opener in relief of Acosta, who took his first loss of 2024 in the decision.

Game 2: Adelphi 7, AIC 5
A disheartening defeat was immediately followed by yet another come-from-behind victory.

The Panthers opened up the early lead, until Jackson Haker's three-run response on one swing in the third had the Yellow Jackets in front.

Just when AIC doubled its lead to 4-2 in the top of the fourth, Adelphi turned it around. With the tying runs in scoring position, Michael Robinson -- summoned as a pinch-hitter in lieu of starting catcher Evan Carway -- took his first offering to deep center for a game-tying two-RBI double.

The production didn't stop there. After the Yellow Jackets went to their bullpen, Alex Rende greeted Romel Roca with a go-ahead RBI single to left. The 'Cats ultimately turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead in the span of half an inning, at 6-4.

With his team clinging to a one-run lead, Gavin Graff came on for a spectacular 3.1 shutout innings of relief. In the meantime, Jack Wishner came through with a clutch two-out RBI single in the seventh that tacked on a crucial insurance run.

Graff exited to the tying run approaching the plate in the top of the ninth. Even after pitching three innings yesterday, Coleton Reitan retired the first three batters he faced, striking out the last two, to preserve his third save of the year.

Head Coach Bill Ianniciello and the Panthers now embark on a 10-game road trip, which begins Wednesday (Apr. 3) in Pomona at 3:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas College.