Three St. Thomas Aquinas College pitchers combined to allow no hits over 8.1 innings as the Spartans downed Caldwell College, 7-1, at Provident Bank Park. Nick May threw six no-hit innings to earn the win, and Mike Russo's long two-run homer put his team ahead to stay. The victory was STAC's second straight to improve to 24-12 on the season, while Caldwell slipped to 9-22.
For the first five innings, this game belonged to the pitchers. STAC's Nick May sailed through the Caldwell lineup without allowing a hit, while Caldwell's Chris DeRogatis yielded only a Stanley Susana single through the first four. The Spartans loaded the bases on two his in the the fifth but couldn't convert as the contest stayed scoreless through five.
Caldwell would finally break through in the sixth without the benefit of a hit. Jorge Ynoa led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one out, Andrew Nunez put the Cougars on top with a sac fly.
St. Thomas Aquinas would not take long to answer. George Wargo led off with a single and Mike Russo followed with a titanic blast into the bleachers in right center field, putting the Spartans ahead to stay. Eric Cooper relieved May in the seventh and set the visitors down in order and STAC would put the game away after the stretch.
Joe Antenucci singled in Frank Salerno to put his team up by two, and George Wargo followed with a blast that caromed off the centerfield wall near the 403 foot mark, and the two RBI triple would give the Spartans some breathing room at 5-1, ending the day for DeRogatis. Reliever Evan Mitchell didn't fare much better as a Russo sac fly brought in Wargo, and Stanley Susana closed out the scoring with a homer deep into the right field porch area.
Cooper tossed a hitless eighth, setting the stage for the drama in the final inning. STAC closer Joe DePool retired the first batter, but Nunez' grounder went cleanly through the left side into the outfield, accounting for the Cougars' one and only hit. DePool would close the door and finish the afternoon.
May improved to 2-1 with the win while DeRogatis fell to 4-2. Salerno, Wargo and Susana had two hits each for St. Thomas Aquinas.
The Spartans, who remain in first place in the East Coast Conference by percentage points, return to conference action this Wednesday, April 18, when they travel to Brookhaven to play Dowling College. Dowling will come to Provident Bank Park on Friday, April 20 for a non-conference game, before hosting the University of Bridgeport in an ECC twin-bill on Saturday, April 21.