PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – After clawing back from a four run deficit, the Pace University baseball team was edged out by a ninth inning run on Thursday afternoon, dropping a 6-5 contest against Northeast-10 Conference foe Adelphi. The Setters fall to 15-15-1 on the year and 9-11 in conference play.

Lorenzo Russo (East Northport, NY/Commack) suffered a hard-luck loss in his longest outing of the year. The sophomore went 6.1 innings in relief for starter Thomas Ippolito (Randolph, NJ/Randolph), allowing just two hits while striking out four. Russo surrendered two runs in his effort, with only one being earned.

With the score tied at 5-5 in the ninth, Adelphi was able to capitalize on a Pace error that allowed Steven Withers to reach with one out. Lucas Terwilliger delivered the biggest hit of the day, scoring Withers on a single through the left side that the Setters were unable to respond to in the bottom half.

It was a valiant effort by the Blue and Gold, who fought back to erase a four run Adelphi lead. Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) led the way for the Pace offense with a 3-for-4 day, collecting a pair of RBIs and a run scored on his fourth home run of the season. Brian Bohlander (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) and Harrison Treble (Oyster Bay, NY/Oyster Bay/St. Bonaventure) both had two hit games.

Despite being outhit by Pace by a 12-8 margin, Adelphi claimed stake to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Panthers were put in business following an error that allowed the leadoff batter Withers to reach. A pair of back-to-back triples by Tyler Becker and Terwilliger plated the first two Adelphi runs, while a Lawrence Cicileo double three batters later brought home the third run.

Adelphi extended their lead to 4-0 in the second inning off a Withers RBI single.

Pace would get on the board in the third, as Paul Piccolino (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) singled to score Treble with two away in the inning. The Setters tacked on one more in the fourth off an RBI single from Greg Tsouprakos (West Islip, NY/West Islip) that drove home Ryan Crowley (Cornwall on Hudson, NY/Iona Prep/Monmouth), pulling the Blue and Gold to within two.

The Panthers regained the three run cushion in the fifth off a Terwilliger sacrifice fly cashed in on Becker's second triple of the day. Pace fired back in the sixth, as Matt Almonte (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) collected a two out RBI single to score Crowley and cut the Adelphi lead down to 5-3.

After a scoreless sixth and seventh by Russo on the mound, the Setters were able to complete the comeback in the bottom half of the seventh. After a Michael Salmonese (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) single opened up the frame, Gulino hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season over the left field wall, knotting up the score at 5-5.

Both teams had opportunities to take the lead in the eighth with runners making their way to third base. Russo found his way in to trouble after giving up back-to-back walks to begin the inning. A success pickoff erased the lead runner, but Adelphi still managed to get the bases loaded. The sophomore was able to get a groundball to escape the jam.

Pace's opportunity came after Piccolino reached on an error to set up runners on first and third with one out. With Treble standing on third representing the go-ahead run, Adelphi pitcher Ed Baram recorded two straight strikeouts to keep him stranded. The Panthers would pull ahead in the ninth, as Pace was set down 1-2-3 to close out the contest.

Up Next
The Setters hit the road for a three game weekend series in Syracuse. Pace travels to Le Moyne on Saturday, where the Setters and Dolphins will play two beginning at 1 p.m.