Lakewood, N.J. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team took their act on the road Wednesday, facing Georgian Court University in a non-conference matchup at ShoreTown Ballpark in Southern New Jersey.

Playing in the home of the South Atlantic League's Jersey Shore Blue Claws, the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, the host Lions put up six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to down the Spartans 12-5.

STAC falls to 21-13 on the year, while GCU moves to 8-29.

12-5 Georgian Court

In an non-conference road matchup, St. Thomas Aquinas jumped out early but couldn't contain Georgian Court's middle-inning surge, falling 12–5.

Early Edge for the Spartans

St. Thomas Aquinas struck first in the second, capitalizing on a defensive miscue as Ethan Antenore delivered an RBI single to make it 1–0. The Spartans added another in the third when Thomas Ardese lined an RBI single, building a 2–0 lead.

They continued to apply pressure in the fourth, drawing bases-loaded walks and manufacturing runs with a sacrifice fly from Nick Bumbaco to extend the advantage to 4–1.

Fourth-Inning Swing Changes Everything

Georgian Court flipped the game in a chaotic fourth inning, scoring six runs to take control. Defensive struggles hurt the Spartans, as multiple unearned runs came across. Key hits from Brian Guzman and Colby McMahon, along with run-producing walks, turned a 4–1 deficit into a 7–4 lead.

The Lions kept rolling in the fifth, adding two more runs behind Zinny Kemahu's clutch two-run single to stretch the margin to 9–4.

Spartans Can't Close the Gap

St. Thomas Aquinas picked up a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Jaden Hernandez, but couldn't generate sustained offense despite drawing 10 walks in the game.

Georgian Court answered back immediately and tacked on insurance late, with RBI hits from Kemahu, Frankie Noviello, and Frank Marra pushing the lead to 12–5.

Pitching and Defense Tell the Story

The Spartans used eight pitchers in the contest, with Raul Polanco taking the loss. Control issues and defensive errors proved costly, as only six of Georgian Court's 12 runs were earned.

On the other side, Tyler Charzewski earned the win in relief, stabilizing things through the middle innings while limiting St. Thomas Aquinas to just one run over three frames.

Top Performers

St. Thomas Aquinas

Anthony Carrea: 2-for-2, 2B, 3 BB, R
Ethan Antenore: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
Matthew Podesta: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
Nick Bumbaco: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, BB

Georgian Court

Zinny Kemahu: 3-for-5, 4 RBI
Frankie Noviello: 3-for-6, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Brian Guzman: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 R
Colby McMahon: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, R

Up Next

STAC resumes East Coast Conference play, visiting Mercy University for a doubleheader on Friday, April 17. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. in Dobbs Ferry, New York. 

Streaming Note

Game one of the doubleheader between the Spartans and Mavericks has been selected as FloCollege's Division II Game of the Week and will stream free of charge on YouTube, Facebook, and X.