Pleasantville, N.Y. - The No. 5 NCBWA East Region ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team made the short trip across the Hudson River to Westchester County for a Wednesday afternoon non-conference matchup with No. 9 Pace University at Peter X. Finnerty Field.
Racing out to a 6-0 advantage through the first three innings, the host Setters ended the Spartans four-game win streak with a 9-1 victory.
STAC falls to 13-3 on the season, while Pace moves back to the .500 mark at 7-7.
Setters Strike Early
Pace opened the scoring in the first inning when Anthony DePetro singled up the middle to drive in Justin Crispino for a 1–0 lead.
The Setters added to their advantage in the second inning, scoring three runs. Manny Carreras came home on a wild pitch before Rocco Cimino delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to 4–0.
Pace continued to build momentum in the third inning. Benjamin Tullo drove in a run on a groundout, and another wild pitch allowed Nick Carlucci to score, making it 6–0.
Spartans Unable to Respond
St. Thomas Aquinas struggled to generate offense early, managing just three hits through the first four innings against Pace starter Joe O'Toole.
The Spartans broke through in the fifth inning when Nick Oelcher doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by C.J. Cumbo, cutting the deficit to 6–1.
Pace Pulls Away
Pace answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of a fielding error that allowed Greg Becker to score. Another wild pitch brought Carreras home, pushing the lead to 8–1.
The Setters added one more run in the seventh inning, as Carreras scored on an error, extending the lead to 9–1 and capping the scoring.
Key Performers
St. Thomas Aquinas
-
Anthony Dimarco: 2-for-4
-
Nick Oelcher: 1-for-4, 2B, R
-
C.J. Cumbo: RBI (sacrifice fly)
-
Michael Zeis: 1-for-1, BB
- Jake Halloran: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K - Loss (0-1)
Pace
-
Rocco Cimino: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
-
Manny Carreras: 2-for-4, 3 R
-
Justin Crispino: 2-for-5, 2B, R
-
Benjamin Tullo: 1-for-3, RBI, R
- Joe O'Toole: 4.0 IP, 3H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - Win (1-0)
Up Next
STAC visits Mercy University for an ECC doubleheader on Friday, March 20. First pitch of game one between the Spartans and Mavericks is set for noon in Dobbs Ferry, New York.