Pleasantville, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team rallied to score two ninth inning runs and then pushed three runs across in extra innings to take a wild 9-6, 13-inning affair against Pace University on Wednesday afternoon at Peter X. Finnerty Field.

STAC improves to 2-3 on the young season, with Pace dropping 1-2, following the non-conference match-up in Pleasantville.

How It Happened

Top First 

• Following a Nick O'Connor one-out triple down the right field line, Gregory DiGiaro flied out to centerfield, scoring O'Connor to make it 1-0 STAC.

Bottom First

• Matthew Rinaldi led off the inning with a triple and scored on a Matt Almonte 2-run homer to make it a 2-1 game.
• After a Nate Carminucci double to left field, Dean DePreta singled, bringing Carminucci to the plate to increase the Pace advantage to 3-1.
• With two outs, Andrew Primm would then double down the right field line, scoring DePreta to give the host Setters a 4-1 lead.

Top Four

• Billy Minett singled to left, followed by a 2-run shot by teammate Danny Di Marzo to get STAC back within one at 4-3.

Top Seven

• Andrew Jemison led off the frame with a triple and scored on the very next play via a passed ball to tie the game at 4-4.

Bottom Eight

• With two outs already recorded, pinch-hitter Thomas Keefe would single to left field, followed by base knocks by Mason Baronian and then Matthew Rinaldi, socring Keefe to put Pace back on top, 5-4.
• A passed ball, in the very next at-bat, scored Mason Baronian from third base to make it a two run margin on the scoreboard for the Setters at 6-4.

Top Nine

• Andrew Jemison led off the inning with a solo homer to get STAC back within one at 6-5.
• Nick O'Connor flies out to left.
• Gregory DiGiaro singles to left field with one out.
• Kyle Lagrutta strikes out swinging.
• Danny Di Marzo singles to left, putting two Spartans on base with two outs.
• Sean Lynch singles to second base, with Paul DeVito scoring from second to tie the game at 6-6.

Top Thirteen

• Nick O'Connor leads things off with a double to right-center field.
• Eric Volpi picks up a sacrifice bunt, moving O'Connor to third base.
• Kyle Lagrutta then singles to right field, scoring O'Connor, as the Spartans take took their first lead of the day at 7-6.
• A walk to pinch-hitter Peter Schimmel, put two men on with one out.
• Sean Lynch would then single to third base, loading the bases full of Spartans.
• An Andrew Guerra single, brought pinch-runner Michael Cunney around to score, along with Schimmel to extend the STAC lead to 9-6.

Bottom Thirteen

•  Mateo Reyes pitched a scoreless bottom of the 13th to pick up his first win of the season.

Top Performances

• Andrew Jemison went 2-for-7 with a triple, home run, RBI and two runs scored.
• Nick O'Connor posted two hits in four at-bats, including a double and triple, with two runs scored and was issued two walks.
• Danny Di Marzo smacked a homer, going 2-for-5, with two RBI and one run scored
• Sean Lynch (4-for-7), Andrew Guerra (2-for-7, 2 RBI) and Matthew Johnson (2-for-6) combined to go 8-for-20 on the afternoon 
• Chris Ubner (No-Decision) got the start for the Spartans and surrendered five hits and four runs in one inning of work.
• Andrew Alameda, Aidan O'Connor, Yanni Orfanidis, Justin Baeyens and James Reilly combined to pitch 10-innings for STAC, and yielded four hits, two runs (one earned), while walking six and fanning nine.
• Mateo Reyes (1-0) picked up his first win of 2022, pitch a scoreless twelfth and thirteenth innings. 

Facts & Figures

• The Spartans posted nine runs on 17 hits, with one error, while the Setters earned six runs on 11 hits, with an error.
• STAC pitchers struck out 10 Pace batters, while issuing six walks on the day.
• St. Thomas Aquinas stranded 14 runners on base, as Pace left 12.

Up Next

St. Thomas Aquinas (2-3) heads back out on the road, this time visiting the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, for a four-game set with the College of Saint Rose (March 4 & 5), Franklin Pierce University (March 5) and the University of New Haven (March 6).