Uniondale, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team took the first step in their journey toward the program's fifth ECC Tournament title, picking up a gritty 3-2 victory over tourney hosts Molloy College on Thursday afternoon at Mitchel Field on Long Island.
Four seeded STAC improves to 23-21 on the year, winning their seventh straight contest. Meanwhile, Molloy sees its eight-game winning streak come to an end, and falls to 32-12.
How it Happened
- Gregory DiGiaro's bases-loaded three-RBI double to right field in the first inning, scored Christopher Conti, Matthew Johnson and Danny Di Marzo to make it 3-0 St. Thomas Aquinas.
- In the second inning, Molloy got on the scoreboard via a Matt Overton solo home run to right-center field, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
- A David Franchi RBI single through the right side of the infield in the sixth, brought Thomas Brady around to score, narrowing the STAC lead even further at 3-2.
- Aaron Dona got the start in the tournament opener and threw seven masterful innings for the Spartans to pick up his fourth win of the season (4-3). Dona allowed six hits and two runs while walking three and striking out seven.
- Relievers Yanni Orfanidis and Justin Baeyens combined to hurl two shutout innings out of the bullpen to preserve the victory. Each pitcher surrendered a hit, with Baeyens fanning two Lions to earn his eighth save of the year.
Top STAC Performances
- Gregory DiGiaro - 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI
- Billy Minett - Two hits in four at-bats
- Christopher Conti, Matthew Johnson, Kyle Lagrutta, Danny Di Marzo, Andrew Guerra, and David Potenza - One hit apiece
- Aaron Dona - (Win, 4-3) 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 7 K
- Yanni Orfanidis - 0.1 IP, 1 H
- Justin Baeyens - (Save, 8) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Up Next
STAC advances to the winner's bracket, facing the winner of today's second game between 2 Queens and 3 Mercy. The matchup will take place on Friday (May 13), with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Mitchel Field.
Provided by the St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information Department.
