GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Pace University softball team took on Adelphi University in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Wednesday, in a matchup between the top two teams in the Southwest Division. Adelphi picked up the win in both games at home, defeating the Setters by scores of 2-1 and 9-1. Pace drops to 12-8 overall and 6-2 in NE-10 play, while Adelphi improves to 18-10 on the year and remains perfect at 8-0 against conference opponents.
 
Game 1: Adelphi 2, Pace 1
The Panthers scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first in game one. Center fielder Krista King opened up the inning with a single up the middle, and was then sacrificed to second. Third baseman Brenna Martini doubled into the left-center gap, scoring King from second to get the Panthers on the board. Later with the bases loaded, right fielder Stephanie Staiano singled in to right to bring Martini home, but sophomore right fielder Jordan Chillinsky (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad High School) and shortstop Ashley Lew (New City, NY/Clarkstown High School North) executed the relay and got the next runner trying to score out at the plate.
 
Pace tallied its only run of the game in the top of the third. Sophomore left fielder Tara Bernstein (Glen Oaks, NY/Bayside High School) led off the inning with a single, then moved over to second on a wild pitch. Moments later, she advanced over to third on a passed ball. Chillinsky then came through with a single up the middle, plating Bernstein to cut the deficit in half. But that would do it for the scoring in game one, resulting in Adelphi taking a 2-1 decision.
 
Junior starter Kaitlynn Nelson (Ojai, CA/Nordhoff) falls to 6-2 with the loss, but had a solid start. She tossed five innings, allowing just two runs and striking out three. Adelphi starter Lindsay Mapes improved to 8-6 on the year after going the distance and allowing just a run on four hits.
 
Bernstein hit 2-for-3 and scored the only run for Pace in game one. Chillinsky batted 1-for-2 with an RBI. Sophomore center fielder Larissa Labs (Carlsbad, CA/San Marcos High School) went 1-for-3.
 
King led Adelphi with a 3-for-4 outing, scoring a run. Martini scored one run and knocked in another in a 1-for-2 effort. Staiano picked up an RBI after going 2-for-3.
 
Game 2: Adelphi 9, Pace 1 (6 inn)
Game two came to an end via the eight-run rule after Adelphi went up, 9-1, in the bottom of the sixth. The Panthers got things going in the bottom of the third with a three-run rally, capped off by Staiano's two-RBI triple to right-center. A sacrifice fly by King in the fourth scored first baseman Fallon McCarthy, who tripled earlier in the inning, making it a 4-0 lead for the home team.
 
Sophomore Cristen Whigham (Westbury, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) came on to pinch hit in the fourth, and came through with an RBI single to score sophomore designated player Surina Sandhu (Elk Grove, CA/Elk Grove High School) from third. This proved to be the only run of the game for Pace.
 
The Panthers responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth, and then rallied for four runs to end the game in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Adelphi's Kristin Fealy picked up the win after tossing five innings and allowing one run. Senior starter Caitlin McCann (San Mateo, CA/Notre Dame) falls to 3-4 after taking the loss.
 
Six different Pace batters hit singles in Wednesday's finale. Whigham went 1-for-1 and knocked in the only run, while Sandhu hit 1-for-4 and scored a run. Chillinsky and Bernstein went 1-for-2 and 1-for-3, respectively, picking up base hits in both games.
 
Adelphi's Martini went 4-for-4 in the game with a triple, three runs and two RBIs. Staiano hit a double and a triple while going 3-for-3.
 
The Setters will look to put Wednesday's doubleheader in the rear view as they take a trip over to Queens College on Thursday, March 31, for a pair of non-conference contests against the Knights. First pitch of game one is set for 3 p.m.
 
For all information regarding Pace University softball, log on to www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Athletics on Facebook (T-Bone, Official Mascot of Pace University Athletics) and follow Pace Softball on Twitter (@Pace_Softball).
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