The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team battled to an 8-5 victory at Provident Bank Park in the final game of the East Coast Conference weekend series. Mike Russo's booming three-run homer in the first set the tone for the Spartans who snapped a three-game skid to improve to 17-10, 7-5, with Molloy dropping to 13-19, 7-5.
After taking the first three games of the set, Molloy put the Spartans behind after just two pitches, when Greg Walsh and Carlos Guzman smacked first-pitch, back-to-back doubles off starter Rob Naughton. The freshman would settle in, escaping further damage in the inning and his teammates would use that momentum in the bottom half.
With two out and nobody on, Stanley Susana and Kenny Kirshner walked to set the table for Russo, who drilled a 2-0 offering deep into the Provident Bank Park bleachers just to the left of the 403 foot sign in center field.
Molloy drew within one with a run in the third before STAC answered in the fourth on a Stephen Sunday double to deep left, bringing Russo around from first base to make the score 4-2. Having trailed in each of their previous three victories, the Lions roared back, chasing Naughton with a pair of runs in the fifth to even the game at 4-4.
This time the result would be different, as Nick Barbalato cranked a triple to left in the seventh, bringing in Frank Salerno with the go-ahead run. Barbalato would score on a double-play, putting the hosts ahead by two.
Yet again Molloy would come back, recording a run off Nick May in the eighth, with the tying run at second. At this point, Spartan closer C.J. Ferriggi would make a stirring return from injury in his first appearance since March 5, inducing an inning-ending grounder.
Nick D'Angelo would double in Rich Baerga and Salerno would later add a sac fly to provide some insurance, but Ferriggi was in charge, facing just three batters after serving up a game-ending double-play ball.
May was credited with the win to improve to 1-1 and Ferriggi - despite missing a month of play, move into a tie for the ECC lead in saves with his 3rd. Molloy rapped out 10 hits, but the four STAC pitchers got the job done when it mattered, stranding 11 Lions on the afternoon.
The Spartans return to action this Tuesday, April 9, when they hit the field at Provident Bank Park for a non-conference battle against Felician College starting at 3:00 pm. They will then be off until Friday, when they host Mercy College in the start of an ECC weekend set, with the first tilt to start at 4:00 pm.