Pomona, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team wrapped up regular season play on Saturday morning, with an 8-0 Senior Day shutout victory over D'Youville University at Clover Stadium.
STAC improves to 25-21 overall and 15-15 in ECC play, while D'Youville falls to 18-30 and 13-17. Both teams now begin preparations for the upcoming East Coast Conference Tournament, which takes play May 7-9 at Mitchel Field on Long Island and hosted by Molloy University.
Prior to the contest, the Spartans honored their graduating senior class; Alex Celeiro, Shamus Gallo, Lorent Hoti, Jake Halloran, Sean Duke, Joshua Mccormick, Ricardo Gonzalez, Tyler Haydt, Robert Williams, Cole Lindquist, Nick Oelcher, Jeremiah Vega, Michael Zeis, Kyle DeCresce and C.J. Cumbo with on-field ceremonies, which included the athletes' families, friends, teammates, coaches and college administrators.
8-0 STAC
In an ECC matchup, St. Thomas Aquinas delivered a dominant 8–0 shutout over D'Youville behind early power and a commanding performance on the mound.
Fast Start Sets the Tone
The Spartans wasted no time jumping ahead, striking for three runs in the opening inning. Michael Zeis delivered the biggest swing early, launching a three-run home run to right field to score Ryan Hillery and C.J. Cumbo and give St. Thomas Aquinas a 3–0 lead.
That early cushion allowed the Spartans to dictate the pace from the outset.
Power and Execution Add On
St. Thomas Aquinas continued to build its lead with steady offensive production across the middle innings.
In the third, C.J. Cumbo lined an RBI double to right-center to make it 4–0. An inning later, Alex Celeiro added to the surge with a solo home run to left-center, extending the lead to five.
The Spartans kept applying pressure in the sixth when Nick Oelcher lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Joshua Mccormick. Two innings later, Kyle DeCresce capped the scoring with a two-run single, pushing the advantage to 8–0.
Schoelles Dominates on the Hill
While the offense produced throughout, the story of the game was the dominance of Andrew Schoelles on the mound.
Schoelles was in complete control across eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking one. He consistently worked ahead in counts and limited hard contact, never allowing D'Youville to mount a serious threat.
Jeremiah Vega closed out the game with a clean ninth inning, preserving the shutout.
D'Youville Held in Check
D'Youville struggled to find any offensive rhythm, managing just four hits on the day. Garett Wilson led the way with two hits, while Cooper Cefaratti added a double, but the lineup was unable to string together sustained pressure.
St. Thomas Aquinas' pitching and defense combined to keep D'Youville scoreless, with the lone Spartans error having no impact on the outcome.
Complete Team Effort
The Spartans' offense was balanced and efficient, tallying 11 hits and getting contributions throughout the lineup. Ryan Hillery set the tone at the top with three hits and two runs scored, while Zeis and Celeiro provided the power.
After capitalizing on early opportunities, St. Thomas Aquinas never looked back, controlling the game from the first inning through the final out.
Top Performers
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Michael Zeis: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
- Ryan Hillery: 3-for-5, 2 R
- Alex Celeiro: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R
- Kyle DeCresce: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
D'Youville
- Garett Wilson: 2-for-4
- Cooper Cefaratti: 1-for-3, 2B
- Jake Hollins: 1-for-2
Up Next
No. 3 STAC will take part in the upcoming East Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, May 7-9 at Mitchel Field. Matchups and game times are still to be determined, and will released on Sunday evening.