The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team is in the Winner's Bracket of the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament East Regional, and the Spartans face Southern New Hampshire University in a 3:00 pm start. Follow the action as it happens, HERE. The #6 seeded Spartans shocked the region in the opener, snapping host Franklin Pierce's 27 game winning streak in a 3-0 victory, as STAC improved to 28-17-1.
Southern New Hampshire comes in facing elimination after a tough 3-2 loss to Wilmington in last night's finale. SNHU held a 2-0 lead late into the contest before the Wildcats rallied for the win.
In other action yesterday, Stonehill captured a 5-2 victory over Dowling, and the Golden Lions took their elimination loss in Friday's opener, a 1-0 nailbaiter against Franklin Pierce in the day's first game.
Regardless of today's outcome, STAC will be playing in the 3:00 game on Saturday. click here for East Regional Tournament Central.
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Unfortunately, games in this weekend's regional will not be available for either audio or video broadcast. However, the STAC faithful are in Rindge in force, and we will be liveblogging details throughout today's game, so be sure to follow along with Live Stats and refresh often!
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5:36 - Junior Stephen Fortuna is on to close for SNHU. Santo leads off and takes a slider for strike three, one out. Fischer grounds to Helms on the first pitch for out number two. John DeAngelis pinch hits for STAC. DeAngelis swings at a pitch in the dirt and is thrown out at first to end the contest and send the Spartan into a Loser's Bracket showdown with either Wilmington or Stonehill at 3:00 pm tomorrow. - FINAL - SNHU 6, STAC 3.
5:34 - Moscatiello gets helms on a 2-2 offering in the dirt, one out in the visiting ninth. Three nicely tailing sliders get Montville swinging for the second out. Diaz also goes down swinging as the righty has thrown 3.2 hitless relief innings. Last licks for the Spartans. - Mid 9th - SNHU 6, STAC 3.
5:28 - Del Priore takes a 1-1 offering the other way but Gendron camps under it just in front of the track in right. A hard-hit single up the middle is Baerga's second of the day, one on with one out. Pena works the count full before taking a pitch just off the outside corner to put runners at first and second with one out. Person gets a 1-0 fastball up and Susana drills it inside the third base bag, the throw home is late as Baerga and Pena score and Susana moves to third on the throw. The Spartans are on the board with one out. SNHU 6, STAC 2. Gargan's tapper to the right side is played by Papa, who hits person covering as the Penmen trade a run for the out. SNHU 6, STAC 3. Dingcong smokes a liner toward right but Goldstein snags it out of the air to end the rally. - End 8th - SNHU 6, STAC 3.
5:13 - Del Priore comes into the game to catch from the DH slot, bringing Moscatiello into the batting order in the eight slot. Person has thrown 85 pitches through seven strong frames. Fontanascio pops to second leading off, and Pena takes a sharp grounder from Goldstein to initiate out number two. Cruz skies a 1-1 pitch to Dingcong in right, as Moscatiello finishes a strong inning. Mid 8th - SNHU 6, STAC 0
5:10 - Gargan's hard-hit grounder toward the middle skips off the chest of Cruz at short for an error, leadoff man on base. Person is still hitting corners and has pop on his pitches. Dingcong is fooled on a 1-2 fastball up and in, swinging through it for the first out. Santo does a nice job, taking a knee-high 0-2 fastball into center for a single. Spartans trying to make some late noise and SNHU starts action in the pen and a trip to the mound. Person paints the corner with an 0-2 fastball, and Fischer is caught looking for out number two. Derek Hirsch steps to the plate, pinch-hitting for McGugan. Hirsch tries to check his swing on an inside 0-2 fastball, but is called out by the first base ump as STAC strands two. End 7th - SNHU 6, STAC 0.
4:55 - After a good fastball to start, Moscatiello falls behind 3-1 before Bauer hits a full-count liner to Baerga for a leadoff out. Papa's soft liner to center on an 0-2 pitch is easily run down by Baerga for the second out. Gendron gets ahead 3-0, but STAC's righty battles back for the strikeout on a tailing slider. Stretch time in Rindge. Mid 7th - SNHU 6, STAC 0
4:48 - Person falls behind, 3-1, but works back to fan Del Priore on an inside fastball for the first out. Baerga turns on a hanging 1-1 curve and drills it into the left field corner for a standup double, STAC's third hit of the day. Pena shoots a 1-0 liner up the middle but it tails into the glove of Goldstein at second, two down. Susana is sent down on three pitches, swinging through a fastball to retire the side. End 6th - SNHU 6, STAC 0
4:40 - Cruz bunts the first pitch of the inning straight up, McGugan makes the easy catch. Helms turns on the next pitch and sends it well toward the bleachers in left, Gargan can only watch it go. SNHU 6, STAC 0. That ends the day for Morris, Frankie Moscatiello trots in from the Spartan bullpen. Montville jumps on the first pitch but his liner to left is snagged waist-high by Gargan. Diaz pops the next pitch to shallow right, Pena makes the grab. Only four pitches are thrown in the inning, but one of them results in a run for SNHU. Mid 6th - SNHU 6, STAC 0
4:32 - Santo grounds the second pitch of the inning to short, one out. Fischer floats a 2-2 slider to the right side, but Goldstein tracks it down in the hole and tosses to first, two out. McGugan's first at-bat is a tough one, as he swings through a fastball to retire the side. End 5th - SNHU 5, STAC 0
4:24 - Contrary to first indication, Gargan's liner did do damage, hitting catcher Rich Cesca, Jr., on the right arm. Jon McGugan comes in to catch the visiting fifth. Morris changes speeds in fanning Helms on three pitches for the first out. Montville goes 3-1 and works out a walk. Morris pops the fastball for a 1-2 count, but Diaz lines to center in front of Baerga for a single. First and second, one out, as SNHU threatens again. Bauer grounds a single into right, SNHU does not test Dingcong's arm this time but the Penmen have again loaded the bases, one out. Papa checks his swing on a 1-2 curve before dropping an opposite-field single to right, scoring Montville. SNHU again decides not to challenge Dingcong's arm and Papa and Bauer overrun their bases; two runners end up on second and Papa is tagged for the second out, but the run scores. SNHU 3, STAC 0. Morris drills Gendron on 2-1, loading the bases again as the Spartans continue to play with fire. Fontanascio takes balls one and two, and Muller is back out of the dugout as Morris is on the ropes. On the first pitch after the trip, Fontanascio grounds a two-run single to center, Gendron holds on second as the Penmen are on the verge of breaking the game open. No action in the Spartan pen. SNHU 5, STAC 0. The 1-2 pitch to Goldstein is in the dirt and McGugan can't corral it as the runners advance to scoring position. Two pitches later, Goldstein waves at a curve for the final out, but damage has been done. Mid 5th - SNHU 5, STAC 0
4:08 - Pena is right on a 1-0 pitch but his screamer to center is snagged by a falling Helms, one hard out. On a 1-1 slider, Susana picks up STAC's first hit with a liner to center, as the Spartans are now making good contact. One out, one on. Gargan screams a 1-0 fastball into STAC's third base dugout. The faithful scatter, but all seem okay. Susana, who was going on the foul ball, is then picked off first, two out. A pair of offspeed deliveries just miss the outside corner to run the count full, and Gargan again scatters his teammates with a foul into the dugout. No white flags are evident. Gargan wins the battle, driving a liner the other way into the left field corner for a double. Dingcong checks his swing for a ball, then turns on a liner to third, right at Diaz for the third out. The Spartans are off the board, but seem to be finding the range on Person. End 4th - SNHU 2, STAC 0.
3:57 - Papa lines a 1-1 pitch into center for a leadoff single, the Penmen's fifth hit of the game. After squaring on the first pitch, Gendron hits a tapper to the right of the mound; Morris springs off to field, his slightly-offline throw is handled nicely by Fischer, who relays to first for the twin-killing. Two out, bases clear. Morris hangs a 1-2 curve, and Fontanascio lines it to left center for a single. Baerga cuts it off quickly to hold the runner at first. Goldstein takes another 1-1 pitch up in the zone deep to center, over the head of Baerga and one-hop to the wall for a double, scoring Goldstein from first. SNHU 2, STAC 0. Cruz works a tough at-bat before falling on a tough 2-2 curveball, swinging through to retire the side. SNHU has stranded six runners through four. Mid 4th - SNHU 2, STAC 0
3:43 - Cesca, Jr., lines a 1-0 pitch to center but Helms makes a nice catch on the sinker. Del Priore's hard grounder in the hole is snagged on the backhand by shortstop Cruz, who fires to first for the second out. Baerga swings through a curve ball to retire the side, as the Spartans have not had a baserunner the first time through the order. End 3rd - SNHU 1, STAC 0
3:37 - May's day has come to a quick close as, sensing the lefty has escaped enough damage, Coach Scott Muscat turns to Anthony Morris in relief to start the third. Morris starts with a pair of nasty sliders before pulling the string to fan Cruz swinging, out number one. After a first pitch strike, Helms takes four straight out of the zone for a walk. Montville pops a 2-1 delivery into foul territory at first; Santo struggles a bit but records the second out with the catch, runner holds at first. Diaz floats a liner into center that Baerga pulls up on, with the single putting runners at first and second. Morris is missing high and his 3-1 pitch to Bauer is hit deep to straightaway center, but Baerga reels it in to dodge another bullet. Mid 3rd - SNHU 1, STAC 0
3:27 - Dingcong's sky-high fly toward right center is played by Helms, who camps under it for the catch. Santo pulls a hard grounder toward the right side hole but Goldstein makes a nice sliding play at second and completes the putout, two down. Person is working quickly and gets ahead of Fischer, who hits a 1-2 sinking liner to right that's grabbed by Gendron. The first six Spartans have gone down in order. End 2nd - SNHU 1, STAC 0
3:24 - May's first-pitch fastball gets up and Derek Bauer lines a hard single to center. Very different intensity level today as a smattering of fans from each team dots the stands. A 2-2 pitched is bounced in front of Cesca, Jr., advancing the runner to second. Lorenzo Papa walks on the ensuing pitch; first and second, none out. With Ryan Gendron squaring to bunt, May's fastball is low and inside, prompting a trip to the mound from pitching coach John Muller. Gendron successfully bunts down the third base line on 1-1, but in his haste to make a play at third, May bobbles the ball, with his error loading the bases. Tyler Fontanascio screams a 1-1 liner to short but Fischer is right on the spot, with his toss to second just too late to catch Papa. One out, the Spartans dodge a bullet but the bases remain loaded with Penmen. On 2-2, Goldstein laces a two-hopper toward the third base bag but Susana snags it on the backhand, steps on the base and throws to first. The throw is offline but Santo puts the tag on Goldstein for the inning-ending double-play, drawing a roar from the STAC bench. Mid 2nd - SNHU 1, STAC 0
3:09 - Person gets ahead of Pena with a crisp fastball, and the leadoff hitter floats a 1-2 liner to Diaz at third for out number one. Susana works a 2-2 count before hitting a two-hopper to short, with Cruz easily converting the second out. Gargan takes a 1-0 pitch the other way, but his deep fly is caught by Bauer in front of the track on left as STAC is down in order. End 1st - SNHU 1, STAC 0.
3:04 pm - A clean-shaven Nick May is on the hill and his first pitch at 2:55 is in the dirt for ball one, we're underway. Zach Goldstein lines a 2-1 pitch to left but Nick Gargan is right in his tracks to make the catch for the first out of the game. After falling behind the leadoff hitter, 2-0, May walks Manny Cruz on four pitches as the leffty fights his control early. Carson Helms fouls off a couple of pitches at 1-2 before being frozen with a curve ball for the second out. Mike Montville falls into an 0-2 hole as well before Cruz steals second. Montville lines a 2-2 pitch into left for an RBI single that short-hops Gargan, advancing Montville to second with two down. SNHU 1, STAC 0. Alejandro Diaz slaps an opposite-field single to right, but Giovanni Dingcong comes up firing, and his perfect throw nails Montville easily at the plate to retire the side. Mid 1st - SNHU 1, STAC coming to bat.
2:55 pm - The Spartans are in the field wearing their Vegas Gold home uniforms with red sleeves and old-style maroon striped socks. SNHU is in the road grays with blue letters and numbers.
2:44 pm - STAC lineup - 1) Pena, 2b; 2) Susana, 3b; 3) Gargan, LF; 4) Dingcong, RF; 5) Santo, 1b; 6) Fischer, ss; 7) Cesca, Jr., C; 8) Del Priore, DH; 9) Baerga, CF; SP) May, 6-1, 2.70 ERA.
2:40 pm - Infield/outfield practice is completed, field is being prepped. SNHU starting lineup; 1) Goldstein, 2b; 2) Cruz, SS; 3) Helms, CF; 4) Montville, DH; 5) Diaz, 3b; 6) Bauer, LF; 7) Papa, 1b; 8) Gendron, RF; 9) Fontanascio, C; SP) Person, 7-1, 0.91 ERA.
1:55 pm - STAC has finished batting practice in the cage is heading for the field. Unlike the past two days, a slate gray overcast carpets the Rindge, New Hampshire sky, though the temperature is in the low 60s and rain is not in the forecast. The Spartans will serve as the home team in today's game, as the Penmen face elimination in the only Friday game that pits a winning team against a losing one.
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2015 East Regional Schedule (Double-Elimination Format)
Thursday, May 14
Game 1 - #6 St.Thomas Aquinas 3, #1 Franklin Pierce 0
Game 2 - #2 Stonehill 5, #5 Dowling 2
Game 3 - 7:00 pm - #4 Wilmington 3, #3 Southern New Hampshire 2
Friday, May 15
Game 4 - 11:00 am - Franklin Pierce (1L) 1, vs. Dowling 0 (2L) (Dowling Eliminated)
Game 5 - 3:00 pm - Southern New Hampshire (1L), 6, St. Thomas Aquinas (1L) 3
Game 6 - 7:00 pm - Stonehill (0L) vs. Wilmington (0L)
Saturday, May 16
Game 7 - 3:00 pm - St. Thomas Aquinas (1L) vs. Loser Game 6 (Loser Eliminated)
Game 8 - 6:30 pm - Franklin Pierce (1L) vs. Southern New Hampshire (1L) (Loser Eliminated)
Game 9 - 10:00 pm - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
Sunday, May 17
Game 10 - 1:00 pm
Game 11 - 5:00 pm (if necessary)