Pomona, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team renewed their rivalry on the diamond with crosstown foe Dominican University on Wednesday evening at Clover Stadium. Despite a late rally threat from the Chargers, an eighth inning two-run homer by A.J. Cumbo gave the Spartans key insurance runs to hold on for a 12-10 victory.
STAC improves to 17-7 on the season, while Dominican falls to 13-15.
12-10 STAC
In a back-and-forth ECC matchup, St. Thomas Aquinas built an early cushion and withstood a late push from Dominican to secure a 12–10 victory.
Big Inning Breaks It Open
After three scoreless innings, St. Thomas Aquinas erupted in the fourth for six runs to take control. The Spartans capitalized on walks, a wild pitch, and timely hitting, with RBI contributions from Nicholas Walker, Rodney De Jesus, and Ethan Antenore, who delivered a key two-run single in the rally.
Dominican got on the board in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly, then chipped away with single runs in the fifth and sixth to cut the deficit to 6–3.
Spartans Answer the Rally
St. Thomas Aquinas responded with another surge in the seventh, plating four runs. A.J. Cumbo helped ignite the inning, while Matthew Podesta's RBI triple and a sacrifice fly from Walker extended the lead to 10–3.
Dominican answered in a big way in the bottom of the seventh. A bases-loaded walk started the rally before Fraelyn Rosario launched a grand slam, suddenly trimming the deficit to 10–8.
Late Insurance Proves Key
The Spartans quickly countered in the eighth when Cumbo delivered again, blasting a two-run home run to push the lead to 12–8.
Dominican continued to fight, getting a solo homer from Erick Diaz and an RBI single from Jaden Maia in the ninth to close within two. However, St. Thomas Aquinas held on, with James Garcia recording the final outs to help secure the win, thus earning him a save.
Pitching Weathers the Storm
Robert Williams earned the win in relief for the Spartans, allowing a run on a hit, while walking three and striking out one. James Garcia shut the door late despite the Chargers' pressure, surrendering one hit and fanning one to earn his sixth save of the season.
Christian Morgan took the loss for Dominican, giving up two runs on three hits, with two walks and five strikeouts.
Top Performers
St. Thomas Aquinas
- A.J. Cumbo: 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
- Alex Celeiro: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R
- Ethan Antenore: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
- Nicholas Walker: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB
- Rodney De Jesus: 2-for-3, RBI, R, 2 BB
Dominican (N.Y.)
- Fraelyn Rosario: 2-for-4, HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB
- Chad Falcon: 3-for-6, 3B, 2 R
- Juan Peralta: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 R, 3 BB
- Jaden Maia: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 BB
- Erick Diaz: 1-for-1, HR, RBI, R
Up Next
STAC visits Molloy University for an East Coast Conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 4 at the Mitchel Field Athletic Complex. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon in Uniondale, New York.