SPARTANS RALLY TO ELIMINATE CHARGERS FROM NCAA DIVISION II EAST REGION TOURNAMENT
Rindge, N.H. (5/28/21) The No. 17/18 St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team rallied with three unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Dominican College Chargers, 4-2, this morning and eliminate them from the 2021 NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament being played at Pappas Field and hosted by #4 Franklin Pierce University.
Rindge, N.H. (5/28/21) The No. 17/18 St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team rallied with three unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Dominican College Chargers, 4-2, this morning and eliminate them from the 2021 NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament being played at Pappas Field and hosted by #4 Franklin Pierce University.
With the loss, Dominican concludes their season with an overall record of 19-15, while the Spartans improve to 26-6.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when junior designated hitter Brian Sanders (La Ceiba, Honduras) delivered the two out RBI single up-the-middle to put DC ahead 1-0.
STAC tied the game in their half of the eighth inning on a single to right center field, but the Chargers countered in the bottom half of the inning as senior shortstop Joshua Colon (Bronx, N.Y.) hit a one out double and later scored on the two out single through the left side off the bat of catcher Bobby Garbuio (Chappaqua, N.Y.) to regain the 2-1 edge.
In the top of the ninth the Spartans used a single to left field and a single a right field to score two runs and a third run came home on a fielding error to give them their first lead of the contest, 4-2.
The bottom of the ninth saw right fielder Tyler Patterson (East Meadow, N.Y.) lead off the inning with a walk and later move to second on the pinch hit single by Benjamin Meza (Miami, Fla.). Centerfielder Max Chidsey (Naples, Fla.) loaded the bases with a one out single to right field, but the Chargers could not capitalize as the Spartan reliever struck out the next two batters to end the game.
Colon went 2-4 with one run scored, while Sanders and Garbuio each had an RBI.
Charger starter Jaden Diaz-Lambert (Erial, N.J.) went seven and 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and five strikeouts in the no decision.
William Espinal (Bronx, N.Y.) suffered the loss (4-5) in one and 1/3 innings of relief, allowing three runs (none earned) on three hits and one strikeout.