GARDEN CITY, New York - The American International College softball team lost a 10-2 contest in five innings and then a 4-3 battle in Northeast-10 Conference play at Adelphi University on Wednesday, April 9.

AIC is now 6-12 overall and 2-6 in the NE10.

The games were originally slated for Saturday, April 5, and the first contest began that day with AIC jumping to a 1-0 lead as Destiny McGrath hit a one-out single in the first and scored as Brooklyn Cividanes doubled into the right-center gap. However, the Panthers pushed four across in the home half to take the lead. 

AIC added an unearned run in the second. With two outs, Morgan Bemont singled and Kora Juliano walked. Nevaeh Trejo bounced to short, and the Panthers should have ended the inning, but a bad throw allowed Trejo to reach, and Bemont scored. 

Both teams made three more outs before the skies opened up, and the field quickly became unplayable due to the heavy rain.

Four days later, AIC returned to Long Island, and the Panthers quickly added to their lead, with four straight hits scoring two runs. They then put the game away in the fifth, with two free passes followed by four hits to score four times, invoking the run rule.

AIC rebounded with a strong start to the second game, scoring first again. McGrath smacked a one-out double, and Julia Krijgsman singled through the middle; McGrath charged home and slid in ahead of the throw for a 1-0 AIC lead. 

The Panthers scored in the first, but were limited to one this time, giving AIC a chance to build momentum. In the third, three straight walks - by Krijgsman, Jilien Ayala, and Lauryn Ramalho - loaded the bases, and Sammy Sanchez drilled a single through the left side to score Krijgsman. 

On the other side, Gabrielle Lambert was dealing. She had worked out of a bases-loaded, no out jam in the second, drawing a foulout, pop out, and groundout after three Panthers reached on three plays that never left the infield, and she shut down a two-out rally in the third before tossing a one-two-three fourth. 

In the fifth, Ayala and Sanchez each singled, putting multiple runners on. Bemont took advantage, driving a pitch back over second base to bring Ayala home and put AIC up 3-1.

Adelphi got the run back in the home half with three hits to load the bases, although Trejo snared a popped-up sacrifice bunt attempt in the process. The hosts managed to score on a sacrifice fly, but left the other two runners stranded as Lambert drew a ground ball hit right at Trejo at third base.

In the sixth, Adelphi's bats came alive, with two singles followed by a two-run double. That proved decisive, as the Panthers held on for the 4-3 win.

Lambert received no decision after allowing just two runs on six hits with no walks in her five frames.

AIC returns home for a six-game homestand beginning Friday, April 11 at 2:30 p.m. with the first game of a doubleheader against Franklin Pierce University.