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NEW CASTLE, Del. - - Haley Downin gave all the runs Kylee Gunkel and the 17th ranked Wilmington University softball team, defeating No. 2 Adelphi in the opening game of the NCAA DII East Super Regional best-of-three series on Tuesday afternoon at Asbury Field.
It is the third year in a row the Wildcats (44-14) have won the opening game of the Super Regional round, needing one more win to repeat as East Region Champions. Adelphi (34-20) came back with two victories to win the 2022 title while the Wildcats won the third game to win the 2023 final.
Tuesday's billed game of a pitcher's duel rang true until the bottom of the fifth inning, as Kylee Gunkel and Adelphi's Lindsey Hibbs were in and out of innings without many issues. The Wildcats left a runner on third in the first while Adelphi left two runners on in the top of the second and the top of the fifth.
Wasting no time in the bottom of the fifth, Haley Downin belted the first pitch from Hibbs, depositing the ball over the fence in left field for the 1-0 lead. It was her third homer of the season. Taylor Gillis and Lexi Moore came up with two-out hits in the inning, but they were left on base as Hibbs got out of the inning without further damage.
Adelphi tried to answer in the top of the sixth, hitting a one-out single and getting a second runner on with a two-out error. Jordan Farhat hit a deep fly ball to left, but Tristyn Stewart tracked it down for the final out of the inning.
Looking for insurance runs, Sara Miller hit a leadoff triple off the top of the wall in the sixth. Gabriella Saucedo then executed a squeeze play to score Miller, and the Panthers' throw went into right field, allowing Saucedo to reach third as well. Emma Zimmerman then executed a squeeze play, and the Wildcats lead grew to 3-0.
A one-out single gave the Panthers life, but then Gunkel induced a comebacker to the circle and a pop up to first to end the game.
It is the fifth consecutive shutout for Kylee Gunkel and Delani Sheehan, with the last run the Wildcats have allowed coming on May 3 in the CACC Tournament.
Lexi Moore had two hits in the game while Gabriella Saucedo, Haley Downin, and Emma Zimmerman had RBI.
Game two of the NCAA DII East Super Regional is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. at Asbury Field.