Uniondale, N.Y. - A ninth inning rally by the St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team on Thursday afternoon, proved to be all for naught, as Mercy University was able to take a walk-off 11-10 extra innings victory in the first round of the East Coast Conference Tournament at the Mitchel Field Athletic Complex on Long Island.
STAC falls to 26-22 on the year, while Mercy improves to 27-22.
The third-seeded Spartans will look to stave off elimination on Friday at 10:00 a.m. against fourth-seeded D'Youville University, which lost to the top-seed and hosts Molloy, 8-3, in Thursday's other first-round game.
11-10 Mercy (10 Innings)
In a back-and-forth ECC Tournament matchup, St. Thomas Aquinas College erased multiple deficits but ultimately fell to Mercy University, 11–10, in 10 innings.
Mercy Strikes Early
Mercy came out aggressive offensively, jumping ahead with a three-run first inning. Zach Ashline delivered the key blow, ripping a bases-clearing double to left field to score Dylan Koch, Geneo Savoca, and John Nisco for a quick 3–0 lead.
An inning later, Koch added another run with an RBI groundout, extending the advantage to 4–0 and putting the Spartans on their heels early.
Spartans Rally Back
After being held quiet through four innings, St. Thomas Aquinas broke through in the fifth.
Nick Oelcher started the rally by scoring on a C.J. Cumbo RBI single before Joshua Mccormick delivered a clutch two-run ground-rule double to center, cutting the deficit to 4–3.
The Spartans tied the game in the sixth when Ryan Hillery lined an RBI single to left, bringing home Tyler Haydt.
Momentum fully shifted in the seventh. Haydt gave STAC its first lead with a two-run single, and Oelcher followed with an RBI single to center to make it 7–5.
Mercy Answers With Huge Seventh
Just as the Spartans appeared in control, Mercy responded with a decisive five-run seventh inning.
Dylan Koch opened the surge with an RBI double before Ashline struck again with another two-run double down the left-field line. Sean McAdams then delivered the biggest swing of the inning, launching a two-run homer to left to suddenly put Mercy back in front, 10–7.
Late Push Forces Extras
St. Thomas Aquinas refused to go away.
Joshua Mccormick continued his standout afternoon in the eighth with another RBI double to trim the deficit to two.
In the ninth, Nick Oelcher doubled home a run and later scored on a wild pitch after Ryan Hillery worked a key walk, allowing the Spartans to complete the comeback and tie the game at 10–10.
Walk-Off Ends Thriller
The game carried into the 10th inning, where Mercy capitalized on a defensive miscue.
With Kyle Engmann on third, Kolongi Goins reached on an infield error that allowed the winning run to score, sealing an 11–10 walk-off victory for Mercy.
Offensive Fireworks on Both Sides
The game featured 29 combined hits and constant momentum swings throughout the afternoon.
Joshua Mccormick led the Spartans offensively with four hits and three RBI, while Nick Oelcher added three hits, two RBI, and scored twice. C.J. Cumbo also collected two hits and an RBI as STAC finished with 14 hits overall.
Mercy countered with 15 hits of its own, highlighted by Zach Ashline's five RBI performance and Sean McAdams' three-RBI day that included the pivotal seventh-inning home run.
Top Performers
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Joshua Mccormick: 4-for-6, 3 2B, 3 RBI, R
- Nick Oelcher: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
- C.J. Cumbo: 2-for-5, RBI, R
- Tyler Haydt: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
Mercy
- Zach Ashline: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 5 RBI, R
- Sean McAdams: 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R
- Dylan Koch: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Kolongi Goins: 2-for-5, 2B, R
STAC's next opponent D'Youville is a very familiar one, as the schools played a four-game series just last weekend. On the year, the Spartans won four of six matchups with the Saints in the regular season.
2026 East Coast Conference Baseball Tournament Schedule
Thursday, May 7
Game 1 – 12:00 PM – #4 D'Youville 3 vs. #1 Molloy 8
Game 2 – 3:00 PM – #3 St. Thomas Aquinas 10 vs. #2 Mercy 11
Friday, May 8
Game 3 – 10:00 AM – #4 D'Youville vs. #3 St. Thomas Aquinas
Game 4 – 1:00 PM – #1 Molloy vs. #2 Mercy
Game 5 – 4:00 PM – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
Saturday, May 9
Game 6 – 12:00 PM – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5
Game 7 - TBD.- If Necessary