Lincoln, Pa. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team put the finishing touches on a three-game weekend series sweep over Lincoln University on Saturday, taking both ends of a doubleheader by the scores of 27-6 and 10-4.

STAC improves to 19-21 and 11-7 in ECC play, while Lincoln falls to 5-34 and 1-17.

How it Happened - Game One

• STAC opened a 2-0 lead on a walk to Matt Johnson, combined with a wild pitch that scored Andrew Jemison. Then Christopher Conti advanced home via a balk to double the visitor's advantage.
• Kyle Lagrutta's 2-RBI double to right center field in the third brought both Andrew Jemison and Matthew Johnson around to score to make it 4-0.
• In the bottom of the frame, Lincoln cut its deficit in half at 4-2 on an RBI single and a fielder's choice.
• A seven-run fourth inning by the Spartans included an RBI double down the left field line (Matthew Johnson), single to left field (Kyle Lagrutta), a wild pitch, scoring Johnson, an Aidan O'Connor triple to left center field (2-RBI), a Danny Di Marzo single through the left side and another wild pitch, scoring Di Marzo to take a 10-2 lead on the scoreboard.
• The Spartans continued to pile it on in the fifth, with an 2-RBI single to center field by Kyle Lagrutta, a Danny Di Marzo RBI double to left center field, yet another wild pitch, scoring Aidan O'Connor and a Lincoln error which brought Di Marzo to the plate, extended the STAC lead to 16-2
• A Lions RBI single through the left side in the seventh made it 16-3.
• Aidan O'Connor's 2-RBI double to left center, followed by Danny Di Marzo's single and another Lincoln error pushed the score to 19-3 Spartans. 
• A David Potenza RBI single and a C.J. Cumbo 3-run homer capped off a seven-run eighth inning, giving STAC a 23-3 advantage.
• STAC scored four more times in the ninth, as the offensive barrage continued. A Matthew Johnson solo shot, Danny Di Marzo RBI flyout, C.J. Cumbo's bases loaded hit by pitch and another Lincoln wild pitch, scoring Andrew Guerra ballooned the Spartan lead to 27-3.
• The host Lions closed the scoring in the bottom of the stanza on an RBI single and a 2-run homer to end game one with a 27-6 St. Thomas Aquinas victory.
• John Archer got he ball in the opener and pitched 6.1 innings, giving up 10 hits and three runs, while walking two and striking out eight. Archer picked up his fourth win to go to 4-5 on the season.
• Relievers Yanni Orfanidis, TJ Gregory and Andrew Alameda closed things out by hurling 2.2 innings. The trio allowed four hits and three runs, while fanning five.

How it Happenend - Game Two

• Lincoln got the early jump on STAC, scoring a run in the first inning via an RBI double to make it 1-0.
• The visiting Spartans got the lead back in the third on a 2-RBI single through the left side, scoring both Billy Minett and David Potenza to make it 2-1.
• A pair of RBI doubles and an RBI single put the Lions back ahead in the bottom of the stanza at 4-2.
• Billy Minett's 2-RBI single down the right field line, scored Andrew Guerra and C.J. Cumbo to tie the game at 4-4 in the fourth.
• St. Thomas Aquinas blew the game open in the eighth on three singles by Billy Minett (2 RBI), Eric Volpi (2 RBI) and Danny Di Marzo (RBI), along with an Andrew Guerra triple (2 RBI) and a Lincoln Wild pitch, scoring Andrew Guerra. STAC grabbed a 10-4 advantage and never looked back, sweeping the Saturday twin bill.
• Mark Barillas got the start in game two, allowing six hits and four runs over 2.1 innings. Barillas also walked two and struck out two, while picking up a no-decision.
• The Spartan bullpen was sensational in the final 5.2 innings, as Matthew Polemeni, Bryan Krolikowski, Justin Baeyens and Yanni Orfanidis combined to give up only five hits and two walks, while K-ing eight Lions batters. Baeyens earned the victory in relief, to go 1-2 on the year.

Up Next

STAC opens its final regular season series of 2022 on Thursday, May 5 against the University of Bridgeport at Clover Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with Senior Day festivities to precede the contest. The Spartans and Purple Knights will continue the series in Bridgeport, Conn. with a doubleheader on May 7.

Playoff Implications

St. Thomas Aquinas currently holds the fourth and final spot in the ECC Baseball Tournament. A win in any of the three games next weekend clinches a playoff berth for the Spartans, while Bridgeport would need to sweep the series in order to jump STAC in the standings and take the final position for themselves.