The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team got off to a strong start and cruised to a 13-4 East Coast Conference victory over Queens College at Provident Bank Park. Nick Gargan had four hits and four RBI for STAC which improved to 24-12 overall and 14-6 in the ECC, with Queens dropping to 7-19, 2-14.

Combined with Dowling's loss to LIU Post, the Spartans, ranked #5 in this week's NCBWA East Regional poll, move to within one game of first place in the conference standings. Earlier today, the ECC also announced that St. Thomas Aquinas outfielder Nick D'Angelo was named conference Player of the Week.

STAC took exactly five pitches to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first, as Rich Baerga tripled into the right field corner and Nick Gargan brought him in with a double. The Spartans would add four more an inning later, with Baerga getting the scoring in gear with a two-run, bases loaded double. Nick Gargan and Stanley Susana also knocked in runs to stake the hosts to an early 5-0 cushion.

Sacrifice flies from Derek Hirsch and Kenny Kirshner in the 4th put the Spartans in a 7-0 lead and they would cruise from there. Starter Michael Gonzalez would take full advantage, sailing through four scoreless innings before allowing a marker in the 5th.

St. Thomas Aquinas would answer with a vengeance, blowing the contest open in a 6-run home 5th inning, with the Spartans rapping out five hits and aided by a trio of Queens errors. Gargan drove in a pair and Kirshner would add another RBI as part of the onslaught, opening up a 13-1 lead.

Gonzalez would run into trouble in the 6th as he was knocked from the box, but relievers James Callahan, Frank Muraca, and Brian Tompkins kept the visitors off the board the rest of the way. D'Angelo continued to rake against Queens, going 3-for-3, extending his average for the series to an even .800 (12-for-15). In all, STAC outscored the Knights by a 51-15 margin over the four games, amassing 56 hits.

The Spartans have a pair of home games this week at Provident Bank Park, hosting Caldwell College on Tuesday before Concordia College pays a visit on Thursday. The Spartans have a bye from confence action this coming weekend, but travel for double-headers at Adelphi University Saturday and Concordia College Sunday.