Pomona, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday by taking game one of an East Coast Conference doubleheader with Queens College by the score of 8-4 at Clover Stadium. Game two between the Spartans and Knights was suspended in the top of the fourth inning due to rain and slick conditions for the pitchers.
STAC improves to 14-5 overall and 5-2 in ECC play, while Queens falls to 4-10 and 1-5.
Game One: 8-4 STAC
St. Thomas Aquinas used a four-run sixth inning to break open a tight game and pull away from Queens (N.Y.), earning an 8–4 victory in ECC play.
Fast Start for the Spartans
The Spartans wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Anthony Dimarco drove in Ryan Hillery with a groundout before Joshua Mccormick followed with an RBI double to left-center, giving St. Thomas Aquinas an early 2–0 lead.
They added another run in the third when Hillery came around to score on a wild pitch, extending the advantage to 3–0.
Queens Battles Back
Queens chipped away in the middle innings, beginning in the fourth when Michael Vilardi delivered an RBI single to make it 3–1.
The Knights pulled even in the fifth. Justin Chong drove in a run with a double down the left-field line, and Vincent Mallon followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 3–3.
Back-and-Forth Continues
St. Thomas Aquinas regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Nick Oelcher lined an RBI single up the middle to score Michael Zeis, making it 4–3.
Queens answered again in the sixth, tying the game at 4–4 on a sacrifice fly from Nico Sorice.
Sixth-Inning Surge
The Spartans responded emphatically in the bottom half of the sixth, putting together a decisive four-run frame. Oelcher delivered his second RBI single of the game to give STAC the lead for good.
Ryan Hillery followed with an RBI double to right-center, then scored during a wild sequence that included a wild pitch. Dimarco capped the inning with a sacrifice fly, stretching the lead to 8–4.
Pitching Secures the Win
Angelo Bartziokas earned the win in relief, tossing three innings while allowing just one hit and a run. William Fleck closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.
Starter Sean Duke gave the Spartans five solid innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.
Christopher Naronis took the loss for Queens, surrendering eight runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings. The Knights' bullpen provided 2.2 scoreless innings, courtesy of former Spartan Justin Babbo, but the damage had already been done.
Key Performers
Queens (N.Y.)
- Michael Vilardi: 2-for-3, RBI, R
- Joshua Angely: 2-for-4, R, 3B
- Justin Chong: 1-for-4, RBI, 2B, R
- Vincent Mallon: 1-for-4, RBI
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Ryan Hillery: 3-for-4, 3 R, RBI, 3-2B
- Nick Oelcher: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, R
- Anthony Dimarco: 0-for-2, 2 RBI
- Michael Zeis: 1-for-2, 2 R, 2B
Game Two: 3-1 STAC (SUSPENDED/TOP 4TH INNING)
St. Thomas Aquinas jumped out to an early lead before the night cap was suspended due to rain and slick conditions for the pitchers.
Fast Start Sets the Tone
The Spartans wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Anthony Dimarco delivered an RBI single to bring home Ryan Hillery, opening the scoring.
Moments later, Kyle DeCresce added to the lead with an RBI single to center, plating Dimarco and giving St. Thomas Aquinas a quick 2–0 advantage.
Queens Gets on the Board
Queens responded in the top of the third inning thanks to a solo effort from John Harkins, who launched a home run down the right-field line and off of the foul pole to cut the deficit to 2–1.
Cumbo Adds Insurance
The Spartans answered right back in the bottom half of the third. C.J. Cumbo connected on a solo home run to right field, also off of the foul pole, restoring a two-run cushion at 3–1.
Pitching Takes Over
From there, pitching controlled the game so far. St. Thomas Aquinas limited Queens to just one hit across the contest over the first three innings played.
Cole Lindquist got the start and tossed three innings while allowing just one run on one hit and striking out two. Christian Simonsen entered the game in the fourth inning, but did not throw a pitch due to the game being suspended.
Severino Napolitano Jr. allowed two runs on four hits over two innings. Noah Kirwin worked an inning in relief and gave up one run on two hits while striking out two.
Rain, Rain Go Away...Not
A light rain at the start, gave way to a steady and sometimes heavy rain which made it impossible for pitchers to safely grip the baseball. This caused the game to be suspended in the top of the fourth inning with STAC leading 3-1. The game will resume at a date to be announced and will be picked up where it left off.
Key Performers (To Date)
Queens (N.Y.)
- John Harkins: 1-for-2, HR, RBI, R
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Anthony Dimarco: 2-for-2, RBI, R
- C.J. Cumbo: 1-for-2, HR, RBI, R
- Kyle DeCresce: 1-for-2, RBI
- Joshua Mccormick: 1-for-2
Up Next
STAC visits the College of Staten Island on Friday, March 27 with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the CSI Baseball Complex.