The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team came up with a split of an East Coast Conference twin-bill, losing the opener by a 1-0 count before rebounding for a 3-2 win in the nightcap. STAC now stands at 24-16-1 overall and 14-9 in the ECC, with Bridgeport at 22-22, 14-9.
Three teams are now tied for first place in the conference standings as the battle for the regular season championship comes down to the final day. STAC, Dowling and Bridgeport all sport 14-9 records coming into Sunday's finale, with the Spartans and Purple Knights finishing their series at 1:00 pm at Provident Bank Park, while Dowling hosts Molloy in a noon start.
Should STAC win, the Spartans will be guaranteed at least a share of the ECC Regular Season Championship. The three aforementioned teams and LIU Post have already locked up the four conference tournament berths, with only seedings to be determined.
For the second straight day, starting pitching was the story as STAC's Anthony Morris locked up with UB's Anthony Alicki. The two hurlers traded zeroes throughout, with the Spartans managing just five hits off Alicki through nine innings, while Morris yielded just three singles through eight innings of work.
In the end, a leadoff walk, sacrifice bunt, and an intentional walk - Morris' only two free passes of the afternoon - set the table for a walkoff error, making the only marker of the game unearned. It was also the second time in a week that STAC had dropped a 1-0 contest, falling at Dowling last Sunday. Nick Gargan recorded two hits, while Morris dropped to 5-2 with the heartbreaking setback.
St. Thomas Aquinas needed just three batters to get on the board in game two, with Joseph Pena reaching on a leadoff error, advancing on a balk, and scoring on a Stanley Susana single. That advantage was stretched to 2-0 in the third when Giovanni Dingcong doubled and scored on a Deven Del Priore sac fly.
Nick May was strong on the hill for the Spartans in the scheduled seven-inning contest, but the hosts pushed across single runs in the fourth and fifth to tie the score, sending the game to extra innings.
Rich Baerga would provide the spark with a one out walk, advancing to second on a ground out and third via a balk from Bridgeport reliever PJ Martino, who replaced starter Brian O'Keeffe. With two down, Greg Dawber would come up with a big bunt single, plating Baerga with what would eventually be the winning run.
May still had business to take care of in the bottom of the eighth, allowing two of the five hits he yielded all day before working his way out of trouble. Included in that inning was his 13th strikeout of the day, to go with three walks in raising his mark to 5-1 this season. While Bridgeport has taken two of the first three games, STAC starters have given the bullpen a rest, going the distance in each of the three one-run decisions. Dingcong had three hits on the game while Pena added a pair.
As noted earlier, the 2015 regular season wraps up on Sunday with these two teams squaring off in Pomona. Senior Day festivities will precede the 1:00 pm start, as will Wounded Warrior Weekend ceremonies. For the 5th straight year, The Spartans and their opponents will don camoflage team hats in tribute to our wounded soldiers, and similar hats will be available for purchase, and donations will be collected with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project.