The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team defeated Dowling College, 4-2 in their first game of the day at the NCAA East Regional in Manchester, NH. The teams will immediately play again with the winner advancing to the Championship Tournament in Cary, North Carolina. CJ Ferriggi worked out of a big game in the bottom of the 8th, drove in an insurance run in the top of the 9th, and closed out the game with the save for winner Mike Gonzalez.

The loss was Dowling's first in the regional as STAC improves to 37-16 while dropping Dowling to 36-16. The teams will meet again with first pitch set for approximately 3:00 pm.

Dowling's Kyle DeMeo and STAC's Gonzalez traded zeroes through three dominant innings before the Spartans jumped on a mistake to get on the board. With two down and none on in the visitors' 4th, Stanley Susana walked and advanced to second on DeMeo's errant pickoff attempt. Deven Del Priore followed with a line single to center, scoring Susana and allowing Del Priore to move to second. Derek Hirsh provided another RBI single and the Spartans were up a pair.

In the bottom of the 5th the Golden Lions stole a run when, with first and third and two down, Andrew Abreu came home when Dan Parisi sacrificed him on a double steal attempt to make the score 2-1.

Gonzalez continued to work his strongest outing of the season but was victimized when JC Brandmaier tied the score with a leadoff homer in the last of the 7th. STAC would rebound in the next frame, however, taking advantage of another Dowling fielding mistake.

Rich Baerga's leadoff grounder to short was thrown away by RJ Going, and Baerga advanced to second on a Kenny Kirshner grounder. With the season on the line, Dowling brought in ECC Pitcher of the Year Tyler Badamo to relieve, and Derek Hirsch greeted him with a line single to center. Baerga, playing half way, was going to be held at third but Jon Cruz bobbled the ball in center, allowing the eventual winnin run to score.

The drama was far from over as the Golden Lions put runners at second and third wiith just one out in the bottom of the 8th, ending Gonzalez' day and bringing on Ferriggi. The ECC's top reliever was true to form, striking out Parisi and Brandmaier to end the threat.

Ferriggi would help his own cause with an RBI single in the top of the 9th, scoring Nick D'Angelo, who had reached on a fielder's choice and stole second. Gonzalez improved to 4-2 with the win, with Robert Rose taking the loss in relief to drop to 2-2.

Starters announced for Game 11 - STACs Matt Kostalos will face Dowling's Cody McPartland. St. Thomas Aquinas will bat as the home team.