Garden City, N.Y. — Head coach Bill Ianniciello and the Adelphi baseball team returned to Wiliam J. Bonomo Memorial Field on Saturday afternoon for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader against Assumption.
Game 1: Adelphi 7, Assumption 5
The Greyhounds got to Panther starter Jack Carr early after a trio of singles to go up 1-0, but Adelphi had their starters' back. In the bottom half of the first the 'Cats struck for four to give Carr some breathing room.
Four straight walks from James Eden, Joe Pellegrino, Bryan McCleary and Jack Wishner tied the game at one. Albert Ramos broke the inning open with a two-RBI single to center and Johnny Catuosco gave Adelphi its fourth run on a single himself.
Carr settled in after the offensive explosion, but a high pitch count would knock him out in the fifth inning. The grad student finished with a line of four innings pitched, two runs allowed (one earned), six hits and five strikeouts.
In the bottom of the fourth up 4-2, the 'Cats struck for three more runs, all of them coming with two outs. Greyson Pizzonia started the party off with a moonshot home run to right field. Eden followed that up with a walk and Alex Rende drove him in on a triple. Pellegrino doubled next and Adelphi was up 7-2.
Assumption looked to get a come back going in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded but after a runners' interference call, a run was taken off the board and runners on second and third had to return to where they were. Jake Sekinski, who entered in relief of Carr, took advantage of the Greyhounds' confusion and struck out the next batter to end the threat.
Nothing was going for the 'Cats in the bottom half and it opened the door for Assumption to get back in the run column. Three hits in a row scored two for the away team as Assumption got within three runs, 7-4.
The Adelphi offense would falter even though it had opportunities in the late innings and Sekinski would continue to work his way out of trouble. The Valhalla, N.Y. native worked for four innings, allowing three runs, seven hits and striking out four while earning the victory.
Zach Rovner earned his third save of the season, shutting the door in the ninth.
Six different Panthers drove in runs in the victory.
Game 2: Adelphi 12, Assumption 10 (7 innings)
In the second game of the doubleheader, Ianniciello went with a bullpen game as Billy Kind was tapped with the start. Just like in game one, the Greyhounds would strike in the first inning, but the Panthers would come right back in the bottom half.
Adelphi got to Assumption's starter early, as a Pizzonia leadoff double led to Eden's first home run of the season and a 2-1 Panther lead. Ramos, Pellegrino and Catuosco singled after that and Wishner drove Ramos in thanks to an Assumption error. Up 3-1 with the bases loaded and nobody out, Adelphi could not get anymore runs across.
Kind shut down the Greyhounds in the second and a three-run shot to left field by Pellegrino put the 'Cats up 6-1.
Assumption got back on the board in the top of the fourth, cutting the lead down to three after a single, a hit by pitch and an error. The 'Cats got a run back after a Rende sacrifice fly, but could not muster any more runs across the plate with runners in scoring position.
Kind left the game in the fifth with a final line of four innings pitched, five hits allowed, two earned runs and four strikeouts. Assumption got a run back in the fifth and in the sixth, the wheels fell off for the Adelphi bullpen.
The Greyhounds would strike for six runs after three singles, a passed ball, two errors and a two-run home run to take a 10-7 lead.
Adelphi had seen itself in this position a few times this season, but they responded. Matt Ryan got the Panther rally started with a double, his third hit of the day. Rende would then walk and a wild pitch moved the pair into scoring position. Pinch-hitter Michael Robinson smacked a single up the middle for his first hit of the season and to cut the deficit to two. Pizzonia then drove in Rende with a sacrifice and Eden hit a check-swing blooper into right field to put runners on the corners.
With a chance to tie the game, Ramos smacked a double down the right-field line, scoring pinch-runner Phil D'Aguanno and evening the score at ten. Up to the plate stepped Pellegrino and like he has been so many times in his career, the first baseman was the hero as he drilled a single up the middle to give Adelphi a 12-10 lead.
Michael Tufo would silence Assumption and the 'Cats won the game.
Adelphi picked up 20 hits from nine players, with seven of them driving in runs.
In the game, Kind picked up his first collegiate strikeout.
The Panthers will return to Garden City on Sunday at noon for a doubleheader with #25 Bentley.
