The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team saw Ken Kirschner's fourth hit of the day drive in the game-winning in a come-from-behind 9-8 victory over St. Michael's College in Lake Worth Florida. Brian Tompkins worked 3.1 scoreless relief innings for the win as STAC improved to 7-4 overall and 3-2 on their Florida Trip. St. Michael's dropped to 3-3 overall with the loss.

St. Michael's strung together four hits to bring across three runs in the top of the first, but the Spartans were quick to answer in the bottom half with a two-out rally. Stanley Susana and Kirschner contributed RBI singles, with the tying run coming home on an error to complete a busy first frame. The Spartans would grab the lead in the second on a Frank Salerno sac fly, giving STAC a 4-3 lead.

That lead would hold up until the fourth inning, when the Purple Knights would score two to take the lead, adding three more in the fifth to grab an 8-4 edge. STAC would get to work in the seventh, cutting the deficit in half when Derek Hirsch brought in two with a double to make the score 8-6, setting the stage for the winning rally.

Salerno led off the eighth with a single, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error. After Nick Barbalato was hit by a pitch, Mike Russo's RBI single brought the Spartans to within one, moving Barbalato to third in the process. Pinch-runner Joe DePool promptly stole second and Susana's sac fly brought STAC even, with DePool advancing to third.

Kirschner followed with an infield single, completing a 4-for-4 day, and allowing DePool to come in with what would prove to be the winning run. Kirschner, Susana and Derek Hirsch knocked in two runs each for the Spartans while Tompkins picked up his first win.

STAC wraps up its Florida swing tomorrow, March 14, against Caldwell College at 12:00 noon in Lake Worth, Florida. They will return north to open their home schedule with a three-game series against St. Anselm's College this Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17 at Provident Bank Park.