Uniondale, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team took the first step in their journey toward the program's fifth ECC Tournament title, picking up a gritty 3-2 victory over tourney hosts Molloy College on Thursday afternoon at Mitchel Field on Long Island.
#4 seeded STAC improves to 23-21 on the year, winning their seventh straight contest. Meanwhile, Molloy sees its eight-game winning streak come to an end, and falls to 32-12.
How it Happened
- Gregory DiGiaro's bases loaded 3-RBI double to right field in the first inning, scored Christopher Conti, Matthew Johnson and Danny Di Marzo to make it 3-0 St. Thomas Aquinas.
- In the second inning, Molloy got on the scoreboard via a Matt Overton solo home run to right-center field, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
- A David Franchi RBI single through the right side of the infield in the sixth, brought Thomas Brady around to score, narrowing the STAC lead even further at 3-2.
- Aaron Dona got the start in the tournament opener and threw seven masterful innings for the Spartans to pick up his fourth win of the season (4-3). Dona allowed six hits and two runs, while walking three and striking out seven.
- Relievers Yanni Orfanidis and Justin Baeyens combined to hurl two shutout innings out of the bullpen to preserve the victory. Each pitcher surrendered a hit, with Baeyens fanning two Lions to earn his eighth save of the year.
Top STAC Performances
- Gregory DiGiaro - 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI
- Billy Minett - Two hits in four at-bats
- Christopher Conti, Matthew Johnson, Kyle Lagrutta, Danny Di Marzo, Andrew Guerra and David Potenza - One hit apiece
- Aaron Dona - (Win, 4-3) 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 7 K
- Yanni Orfanidis - 0.1 IP, 1 H
- Justin Baeyens - (Save, 8) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Up Next
STAC advances to the winners bracket, facing #2 Queens College on Friday (May 13), with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Mitchel Field. The Knights outlasted #3 seed Mercy College, 4-3 in the other opening round game on Thursday.
2022 ECC Baseball Championship hosted by Molloy College at Mitchel Field - Uniondale, N.Y.
For More Information, visit the ECC Baseball Championship Central
Thursday, May 12
12:00 PM - No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas 3 vs. No. 1 Molloy 2
3:00 PM - No. 3 Mercy 3 vs. No. 2 Queens 4
Friday, May 13
10:00 a.m. - No. 1 Molloy vs. No. 3 Mercy
1:00 p.m. - No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 2 Queens
4:00 p.m. - Winner Game Three vs. Loser Game Four
Saturday, May 14
12:00 p.m. - Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five
If necessary - 30 minutes after the completion of Game Six
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All games during the championship will be broadcast live on the ECC Network and the ECC Network app on Apple and Android mobile devices and also on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku OTT streaming devices.
TICKET PRICING
Single Game Ticket
$8 - General Admission
$5 - Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children Ages 5-12
Weekend Passes
$20 - Adults
* Children under 5 free for all games
** Tickets must be purchased at the link above. Cash will not be accepted so walkup tickets at the venue must be purchased through the ECC website (QR code will be available at the gate).