The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss against Pace University at Passidomo Park. Robert Naughton worked six scoreless innings of relief to keep the Spartans close but was unable to prevent his squad from falling to 4-2 overall while Pace improved to 2-3 on the season.

Spartans starter Rob Frank had control problems early and it proved costly. The right-hander walked the first two batters he faced, both of whom came around to score. A leadoff walk followed by an infield hit yielded the same result in the second, putting the Setters up by an early 4-0 count and sending Frank to the bench after just 1.2 innings of work.

Reliever Joe Grimaldi escaped further damage in the second inning, and Naughton threw blanks the rest of the way, fanning seven while allowing just three hits over the next six frames. STAC finally broke through on Pace starter Robert Rizzitelli in the top of the sixth, as Nick Barbalato walked and came around on a Mike Russo double.

STAC would manufacture another run in the eighth when Frank Salerno walked, stole second and third, and trotted home on a throwing error to cut the deficit to 4-2. That was as close as the Spartans would get, with closer Josh Garran putting the finishing touches on the afternoon.

St. Thomas Aquinas will now head south, traveling to Florida to play six games in as many days, starting with a tilt against Adelphi University in Lake Worth, Florida on Saturday, March 9, at noon. The final game will be against Caldwell on March 14 before the Spartans head home to host St. Anselm in a three-game set on March 16-17.