March 22, 2008

Game OneGame Two

New Haven, CT - Senior Dely Francisco combined for 5-of-7 with five runs scored and three stolen bases to lead the Adelphi University softball team to a 13-2, 7-5 sweep of Southern Connecticut State this afternoon. The Panthers improve to 6-10 on the season, while the Owls drop to 5-10.

Game One
The Panthers set the tone early on as Francisco tripled in her first at bat. Sophomore Katie Brophy's SAC fly to left field drove in the run. Junior Samantha Johnston bunted to first then advanced to second before stealing third. Junior Diana DiPiano singled to left field as Johnston scored. Freshman Stephanie Byster's double to right field made it a 3-0 lead as freshman Deirdre White scored after reaching on a fielder's choice.

Adelphi rattled off four runs in the second inning, beginning with a single by Brophy which drove in junior Christina O'Hara. Johnston's double drove in Brophy with DiPiano and White each singling to bring in runners. The Owls got on board in the bottom of the second as a walk pushed home sophomore Kerry Iacomini. Johnston belted a two-run triple in the top of the third to extend the Panther lead to eight, 9-1. SCSU made it a 9-2 game in the bottom of the third before both teams were quiet over the next three innings. Adelphi added four more runs in the seventh inning. Johnston picked up her fifth RBI of the day when she doubled to right field to score the final two runs of game.

Senior Samantha Tilton, who was 1-2 with an RBI at the plate, recorded the win in 4.0 innings pitched in relief. Senior Julie Schaper opened the first three innings, allowing three hits with four walks while striking out two.

Adelphi had 13 runs on 14 hits with one error. SCSU had two runs on four hits with two errors.

Game Two
The Owls opened game two with a run in the first inning. It took the Panthers until the third inning to tie the game as Francisco scored on a DiPiano single. Sophomore Megan Caparossi homored in the third to put SCSU back on top. The Owls homored again in the top of the fourth, 3-1. In the fifth inning, senior Bailey Lawrence singled then advanced to third on consecutive fielder's choice. With bases loaded, Johnston grounded out to first base as Lawrence crossed the plate to make it a 3-2 game.

Francisco scored the tying run in the seventh after she singled then stole second before heading home on an RBI single by Brophy, who later scored the go ahead run on an error by the first baseman. An Adephi error put the Owls on base in the bottom of the seventh as they scored to tie the game at 4-4. Tilton came on in relief and shut the door, but the damage was done and the game went into extra innings.

The game followed international rules in the eighth, which placed Tilton on second to start, with Schaper coming in to run. Byster singled to right field with Rice coming in as a pinch runner. Lawrence reached on a fielder' choice bunt which drove in Schaper for the winning run. Francisco hit a RBI single to drive in Lawrence and then stole second and third before crossing home plate on throwing error by the SCSU catcher to put the Panthers up 7-4.

The Owls plated a run in the bottom of the eighth on a Caporossi base hit, but Tilton once again slammed the door on a Southern Connecticut rally to give Adelphi a 7-5 victory.

Four Adelphi pitchers appeared in the game, with Tilton's (2-1) 1.1 innings of relief work earning her a second victory of the day.

Adelphi had seven runs on 10 hits with one error. Southern Connecticut had five runs on nine hits with two errors.

The Panthers are back in action Tuesday, March 25, as they open their conference schedule at the University of New Haven at 3:00 p.m.