The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team opened the 2016 win with a 6-4 victory over Slippery Rock University at the Dinwiddie Invitational in Dinwiddie, Virginia. Nick Gargan homered and drove in three runs in the victory. With the loss, Slippery Rock dropped to 1-4 on the season.

Matt Kostolos took the opening day start but was welcomed with a solo home run from Tyler Walters in the home first. That run held up until the top of the fifth, when Rich Cesca, Jr's homer knotted the score at 1-1.

Gargan's solo homer in the 6th put the Spartans on top for the first time. but SRU answered on Frankie Jezioro's two run shot in the bottom half to make the score 3-2. Kostolos' day ended with six strong innings, and STAC came through to take the lead in the 8th.

With one out, Joe Pena singled, and Michael Morgan walked to set the table. Gargan came through with a two-RBI hit, giving the Spartans a 4-3 edge, and Giovanni Dingcong's grounder brought Gargan in for an insurance run.

That proved to be big when Mitchell Wood led of the eighth with a home run in the bottom half, but Pena would again give his team a two-run cushion with a run scoring single in the 9th, and George Navadel fanned two in a scoreless final frame to earn his first save.

Pennell earned the relief win and Kostolos was strong, fanning eight and walking just one over his six innings of work. Gargan and Pena had two hits each in the nine-hit STAC attack.

The Spartans return to action on Sunday, February 28, taking on West Chester University at 9:00 am before squaring off with Philadelphia University at 3:00.

- Steve Balsan, St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information

- Photo by Dorice Arden