Lewiston, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team's bats were red-hot on Friday, as the Spartans swept an East Coast Conference doubleheader against D'Youville University, 20-8 and 8-5, at Bobo Field on the campus of Niagara University. 

STAC improves to 8-10 and 2-0 in ECC play, while D'Youville falls to 7-10, 0-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME ONE

• STAC opened the scoring with Andrew Jemison scoring on a first inning wild pitch by D'Youville pitcher Chris Auclair to make it 1-0.
• The Saints tied the game in the bottom of the frame on a Jeremy Glinski double to center field, scoring Billy Morris.
• Andrew Jemison's RBI single to centerfield, in the second inning, brought Joseph Scamardella around to score to give STAC a 2-1 lead.
• St. Thomas Aquinas put up a ten-run fifth inning, as Nick O'Connor (single), Kyle Lagrutta (double) recorded up RBI hits, while a Joseph Scamardella flyout and a David Potenza fielder's choice also plated runs for the Spartans. An Andrew Guerra bases loaded walk and a Gregory DiGiaro grand slam added to the big inning for the maroon and gold. The Spartans held a commanding 12-2 advantage.
• In the bottom of the frame, the host Saints were able to cut their deficit to seven (12-4) on a Jeremy Glinski sac fly, scoring Dillon Cook and an Alec Boucher single to centerfield, with Billy Morris making his way home.
• Billy Minett quickly got those runs back for the Spartans, when he cranked out a two-run shot in the sixth to make it 14-4.
• Then Billy Morris's RBI double for D'Youville, in the very next half inning, scored Hunter Nowak to make it 14-5.
• Another big inning for the Spartans put the Saints at arm's length. RBI Singles by Greg DiGiaro and Andrew Jemison, along with three bases loaded walks (David Potenza, Dominic Crema and Andrew Guerra) and a sacrifice fly by Joseph Scamardella gave STAC six runs in the seventh inning to expand the lead to 20-5.
• In the ninth, and with the contest well in hand, D'Youville scratched across three runs on RBI singles by Trevor Zewan and Phill Polakiewicz and a bases loaded groundout by Josh Battaglia.
• However, that would be all she wrote, with STAC getting the final out to close the books on game one, 20-8.

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME TWO

• Game two saw the Spartans plate more first inning runs, with Gregory DiGiaro hitting another home run, this time a three-run shot to left field, to make 3-0.
• Andrew Jemison added to the run total in the second, as an RBI line out to centerfield, allowed Kyle Lagrutta to make his way to the plate, giving STAC a 4-0 lead.
• C.J. Cumbo then doubled to right-centerfield, scoring David Potenza to make it 5-0.
• In the third inning, Kyle Lagrutta's RBI ground out to second base, brought Nick O'Connor home, followed by Joseph Scamardella's double to centerfield with Sean Lynch scoring and finally David Potenza's single through the left side allowed Scamardella to score for a three-run frame and a 8-0 Spartans advantage.
• Billy Morris finally got D'Youville on the scoreboard in the fourth on an RBI single to right field, with Hunter Nowak scoring the Saint's first run.
• D'Youville clawed back into the game in the seventh inning with four, two-out runs, as first Nowak's double to right field, scored both Dillon Crook and Jon Simpson to make it 8-3.
• A single to right field by Billy Morris, combined with an error by the STAC right fielder, allowed Hunter Nowak to come home and made it 8-4.
• Things got tense for the Spartans when Ethan Hammond's single up the middle, plated Caden Strobel and cut the Saints deficit to just three, at 8-5.
• However, STAC reliever Bryan Krolikowski settled down and was able to get a ground ball for the final out of the the game.

STAC PERFORMANCES

• Andrew Jemison went a blistering 7-for-10 with two doubles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
• Gregory DiGiaro (3-for-8) hit two homers on the day, while recording 8 RBI and 4 runs scored.
• Kyle Lagrutta stroked four hits in eight at-bats, including a double. He also posted 2 RBI and three runs scored.
• Joseph Scamardella and Nick O'Conner recorded three hits apiece. Meanwhile, Sean Lynch, Billy Minett and David Potenza had two hits apiece.
• Aaron Dona took the ball for Spartans in game one and gave up six hits and four runs (three earned) in five innings of work. Dona also walked three and struckout six to pick up his third win (3-1) of the season.
• The Spartans bullpen of Jack Wilde, Robert Williams and Vincent McDermott combined to hurl four innings, surrendering six hits and four runs, while walking three and fanning five.
• John Archer got the start in game two and pitched six and two thirds innings, giving up seven hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out seven. Archer (2-2) picked up his second win of the campaign.
• Bryan Krolikowski pitched in and out of trouble for STAC to get the final out of the game. The righty surrendered three hits and two runs in a third of an inning.

FACTS & FIGURES

• The Spartans posted 28 runs on 28 hits, with 2 errors, while D'Youville earned 13 runs on 22 hits, with 2 errors in two games.
• STAC pitchers struck out 18 Saints batters, while issuing 7 walks on the day.
• St. Thomas Aquinas stranded 12 runners on base. D'Youville left 16 in both contests.

UP NEXT

Due to the forecast of inclement weather in Western New York, including high winds and heavy rains, Saturday's contest between the Spartans and Saints has been shifted to Sunday (March 26) and now becomes a doubleheader with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at Bobo Field.