The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team came up short in a 3-2 setback in an East Coast Conference battle with the University of Bridgeport at Provident Bank Park. With the loss, the Spartans drop to 23-15-1 overall and 13-8 in conference play, with Bridgeport improving to 21-21, 13-8.

Both teams are among the four who have secured spots in next week's ECC Baseball Tournament, joining Dowling and LIU Post, with seedings to be determined on this weekend's results. The tourney begins on Thursday at Mitchel Park in Uniondale, with Molloy College serving as the host.

Bridgeport grabbed a lead with a third-inning run off Spartan starter Matt Kostolos, but Nick Gargan's RBI single off Purple Knights' ace Rob Anderson in the bottom of the same frame. The visitors regained the edge in the top of the fourth, but a Stanley Susana run-scoring single tied the contest again in the home fifth.

STAC had a big opportunity to snag the edge in the home seventh with runners at first and third and one out, but Bridgeport's PJ Martino came on in relief to put out the fire. Dave Egeland led off the visiting ninth inning with a triple and scored the eventual winning run, making Kostolos a tough-luck loser in spite of earning the complete game.

Martino was the winning pitcher in relief for UB, while Nick Gargan recorded three hits and Christian Santo and Joseph Pena each added a pair, though the Spartans stranded 10 baserunners in the one-run loss. Kostolos scattered eight hits, striking out five and walking just one.

The series now shifts to Bridgeport for a Saturday double-header before the regular season draws to a close at Provident Bank Park on Sunday. Before the 1:00 pm start, pre-game ceremonies will pay tribute to STAC seniors in their final home game, as well as honoring the Spartan's 5th annual Wounded Warrior Project weekend.