The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team swept an East Coast Conference twin bill at LIU Post, rallying for a 12-inning, 4-3 win in the opener, and taking a 3-2 decision in the nightcap. STAC has moved into first place in the ECC standings with a 5-1 record to compliment their 19-6 overall mark, while Post fell to 9-13, 1-5. The Spartans have now won five straight and 14 of their last 17 overall.

Game one saw two of the top hurlers in the conference square off as STAC's Matt Kostolos took on Post's Jake DeCarli, but the start was delayed over 90 minutes due to rain. The Spartans broke on top quickly as Greg Dawber led off the game with a single and came around two batters later on Deven Del Priore's double. LIU Post used small-ball to set the table with a pair of infield hits, and Lou Doria's two-run double gave the hosts a 2-1 lead after two.

A throwing error helped the Pioneers increase the lead to 3-1 with an unearned run in the fourth, and the game stayed there with both starters working into the ninth when the Spartans found a way, as they have done do often this season.

Giovanni Dingcong took DeCarli's first pitch of the inning deep to cut the deficit to 3-2, and Joe Boland followed with a single. Pinch runner Andre Jackson advanced on an errant pickoff throw and moved to third on a groundout. Pinch hitter Jon McGugan struck out, but on the decisive pitch, the ball caromed far enough away to allow Jackson to bring home the tying run.

Chris Pennell came on to work a pair of scoreless extra innings before Del Priore's two out, RBI single in the top of the 12th brought in Tyler Patane, who had led off the frame with a double. George Navadel came on to record the save, as Joseph Pena led the offense with three hits.

In the nightcap, STAC again broke on top in the first when Nick Gargan doubled, stole third, and came in on an errant throw. Gargan was involved again in the third, doubling in Pena to stake the visitors to a 2-0 lead.

This time, it was the Pioneers rallying from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score with single runs off starter Sam Vincenzo in the third and fourth, only to see Gargan come home with the winner on a sixth inning wild pitch. Vincenzo allowed one earned run over six strong innings with Navadel again coming in for the finish, earning his eighth save of the campaign.

Overall, in the 19 innings of work for the day, the quartet of St. Thomas Aquinas pitchers allowed just three earned runs, striking out 17 Pionners batters while walking just one, dropping the staff's season ERA to 2.38.

Please note - tomorrow's scheduled double-header at LIU Post has been postponed due to impending inclement weather, with make-ups to be determined. Please check the schedule page for the latest details.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden