Pomona, N.Y. - Aaron Dona set a new single-season record for strikeouts on Thursday evening, as the St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team rolled to a 14-1 victory over Queens College a Clover Stadium.
STAC improves to 22-23 overall and 15-6 in the East Coast Conference, while Queens slips to 27-15 and 11-8.
Dona's second inning strikeout of Knights hitter Matt Filip gave him 95 on the year, surpassing former Spartans and current Quebec Capitales (Frontier League) pitcher Frankie Moscatiello's mark of 94, which was set in 2017. The right-hander also currently sits atop the ECC with 104 Ks in 2023 and has fanned 272 opposing hitters over his five-year maroon and gold career.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st - Gregory DiGiaro walked, RBI; Nick O'Connor advanced to second; C.J. Cumbo advanced to third; Andrew Jemison scored. 1-0 STAC
1st - Billy Minett walked, RBI; Gregory DiGiaro advanced to second; Nick O'Connor advanced to third; C.J. Cumbo scored. 2-0 STAC
3rd - Gregory DiGiaro singled up the middle, RBI; Nick O'Connor scored. 3-0 STAC
6th - Andrew Jemison singled to shortstop, RBI; David Potenza scored, unearned. 4-0 STAC
6th - C.J. Cumbo singled to pitcher, RBI; Andrew Jemison scored. 5-0 STAC
6th - Kyle Lagrutta doubled to left field, RBI; C.J. Cumbo scored. 6-0 STAC
7th - C.J. Cumbo singled to center field, RBI; Andrew Jemison advanced to second; David Potenza advanced to third; Christopher Conti scored. 7-0 STAC
7th - Andrew Guerra hit by pitch, RBI; C.J. Cumbo advanced to second; Andrew Jemison advanced to third; David Potenza scored. 8-0 STAC
7th - Kyle Lagrutta grounded out to p, RBI; Andrew Guerra advanced to second; C.J. Cumbo advanced to third; Andrew Jemison scored. 9-0 STAC
St. Thomas Aquinas
7th - Gregory DiGiaro singled through the left side, 2 RBI; Nick O'Connor advanced to second; Andrew Guerra scored; C.J. Cumbo scored. 11-0 STAC
7th - Billy Minett doubled down the lf line, RBI; Gregory DiGiaro advanced to third; Nick O'Connor scored. 12-0 STAC
7th - Christopher Conti lined out to cf, sacrifice fly, RBI; Billy Minett advanced to third; Gregory DiGiaro scored. 13-0 STAC
7th - David Potenza singled to center field, RBI; Billy Minett scored. 14-0 STAC
9th - Mike Freda singled to left field, RBI; Teovaldo Estevez scored. 14-1 STAC
STAC PERFORMANCES:
- Gregory DiGiaro went 2-for-4, with 2 RBI and a run scored on the day.
- Andrew Guerra (1-for-4), Kyle Lagrutta (1-for-5), Nick O'Connor (2-for-4) and Billy Minett (1-for-2) each recorded a double in the game.
- Andrew Jemison, C.J. Cumbo (2), Christopher Conti and David Potenza also provided five of the 12 hits for the maroon and gold.
- Aaron Dona (6-3) got his final regular season start for the Spartans on Thursday, earning his sixth win in nine decisions. Dona hurled seven spectacular innings, allowing just three hits and a walk, while fanning 11 Knights batters.
- Relievers Jeremiah Vega and Ryan Callaghan were each called upon to close out the final two innings out of the bullpen. The STAC duo combined to allow four hits and a run, while striking out two.
FACTS & FIGURES:
- The Spartans posted 14 runs on 12 hits, with no errors, while Queens earned 1 run on 7 hits, with 3 errors.
- STAC pitchers struck out 13 Queens batters, while issuing just one walk on the day.
- St. Thomas Aquinas stranded 13 runners on base. Meanwhile, Queens left 6 in the contest.
- Gregory DiGiaro is currently hitting a torrid .667 on the week, with 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, and 7 runs scored. He has also drawn 2 walks.
UP NEXT:
STAC closes the home portion of its 2023 Regular Season schedule on Friday, May 5, taking on Queens College in a 6 p.m. ECC affair at Clover Stadium.