WEST HAVEN, Conn. – In the final day of the six game home stand, the Chargers hosted the Adelphi Panthers looking to improve upon their 6-2 record at home. The series was all about the pitchers until Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph) made the story about the offense with one swing of the bat changing the momentum of the series.
Preview:
Coming off winning three out of four on the weekend and improving to 6-2 at home and 13-11 overall, the blue and gold added to their home run total adding three in the series against Le Moyne. Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) sat atop the team with four after hitting a pair followed by Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) and Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph) with three each. In the circle Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) came off a dominant weekend picking up two complete game wins while Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) continued to build upon her 19 straight innings without issuing a walk. Coming off the bus the Panthers were 22-8 and 9-1 in the conference being handed their first loss at the hands of the Assumption Greyhounds. The Chargers and Panthers are familiar foes having met four times in 2021, with Adelphi holding the all time series record 46-38. With the opportunity for New Haven to complete the home stand strong and get out on the right foot ahead of the road stand it all came down to the Tuesday first pitch.
Game 1:
Both offenses put the pressure on each pitcher in the first inning getting two runners on but neither were able to cash in, ending the first inning all tied up at zero. Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) would work in the circle holding the Panthers to a lone run in the second, third and fourth innings before Adelphi scored four in the fifth and one in the sixth. The offense totaled four hits and a walk, but were never able to get the big hit when they needed it, leaving eight runners on the base paths. The top three batters of Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee), Hailey Polisano (Howell, N.J./Howell) and Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) each picked up a hit along with Ashley Veisz (Robbinsville,N.J./Robbinsville) and Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) added a walk. The blue and gold dropped game one 8-0 and looked to bounce back in game 2 with Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) in the circle for the blue and gold.
Game 2:
After seeing an offensive surge in the first game, the Chargers locked in and were led by Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) in the circle. Working on 19 innings without issuing a walk, Iodice would add to that while battling against the arm of Adelphi turning the game into a pitchers controlled game. After giving up a leadoff single Iodice would get the next three outs stranding the runner on the bases. She would repeat that through the next two innings giving up one hit but then stranding the runner. Following that, Iodice would sit the next 12 batters down in order picking up two strikeouts during that work. Iodice had everything working for her being dominant with the rise ball and painting the corners keeping the Panthers bats quite. In the home half of the innings, the blue and gold were able to get a runner on in four of the first five innings but were never able to push a run across. Entering the sixth with both pitchers showing no sign of letting up a run, it looked like it would come to whoever could get the first run. That is when New Haven answered the call. Down to their final five outs, Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) doubled to center field bringing life to the Chargers dugout. That double brought up Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph) walking up to Space Jam with one thing on her mind, to end the game. Hillman in her third at bat of the game began to see the ball well and squared one up driving it into the construction area but foul. The very next pitch she changed everything. The 1-2 rise ball stayed in the zone and Hillman turned on it as it left the park in a hurry giving the Blue and Gold the 2-0 lead and flipping the script on the Panthers. With the lead, Iodice returned to the circle and did just what she had done for the first six innings. Iodice sat Adelphi down in order going 1,2,3 securing the win for New Haven and securing the split.
With the homestand complete the Chargers went 4-2 and improved to 14-12 and 8-4 in the conference. New Haven now begins a stretch of 10 straight on the road starting with a close trip to Southern Connecticut State University before the true travel begins with trips to Pace, Stonehill, Bentley and Saint Michaels, before returning home at the end of the month. So far the Chargers are 3-3 away from home, and are looking to pick up crucial wins while away from home and move up the standings in the conference.
