(04-19-08)
Box Score - Game One / Box Score - Game Two
WEST HAVEN, Conn. -- T.J. Phelan pitched a complete game and Michael Moras (photo) drove in three runs to pace the University of New Haven baseball team to a 6-2 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the second game of an East Coast Conference doubleheader at Frank Vieira Field on Saturday. STAC won the opening game, 10-2.
UNH (17-17, 12-6 ECC) and STAC (19-19, 10-8 ECC) will wrap up the three-game series at Tappan Zee High School on Sunday beginning at 1:00 p.m.
On the day, Moras finished 5-for-8 with 4 RBI's, while Jimmy Rivas was 4-for-9 to increase his team-leading batting average to .393 this season.
GAME ONE - STAC 10, UNH 2
STAC got 14 hits, including a 3-for-5 performance from Vincent Malzahn and two hits apiece from four other players. UNH hurt itself with four errors, but STAC blew the game open with eight runs in the fourth inning - all of which would have scored despite the errors because of nine singles.
Matt Sommo took the loss on the mound for UNH, getting tagged with all 10 runs scored (9 earned), while Ian Solomon struck out eight in what amounted to a "spot start" with 5 2/3 relief innings. He gave up two hits and two walks, and allowed three of Sommo's runs to cross in the fourth before settling in to keep STAC off the board the rest of the way. He recorded 12 consecutive outs in the sixth through ninth innings, including three strikeouts in the eight.
During the explosive fourth inning, STAC strung together nine singles, broken up only by a flyout to center field. The Spartans opened the frame with consecutive bunt hits, one down the third base line and then the next a hard bunt off to the left of first base.
That set the tone, as STAC then got two more singles from Mike Triana and John Mazzello to start the scoring. Two runs scored on a 2-error play - first an errant throwdown to third base and then a bobbled pickup of that throw in left field - but both runs would have scored later anyhow after Fernando Peralta and Vincent Malzahn made it six straight singles to start the inning. After a flyout to center, Kevin Ryan and Kevin Connors singled off Sommo to end his day. Solomon gave up a single to Joe Guistino, and then walked in a run with bases loaded and gave up the final run of the frame on a fielder's choice to short stop.
Moras drove in one run for UNH with a triple, plating Rivas who had opened the fourth inning with a double. Rivas scored both runs, coming home in the sixth on a wild pitch.
STAC starter Mike Aviles gave up six hits and two walks to the Chargers, but struck out nine in seven innings of work to pick up his fifth victory this season. Mike Puke worked two innings of scoreless relief with three strike outs.
GAME TWO - UNH 6, STAC 2
Game two was the opposite of the opener for UNH offensively, with the Chargers scoring six in their first three turns at the plate. That all came in support of Phelan, who cruised through the first five innings with just one run on four hits.
He finished with a seven-inning complete game, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks. Phelan struck out five.
UNH got two runs in the first, with Tom Rombilus singling up the middle, Evan Okon singling in the infield and both advancing on an errant throw by the second baseman. After a walk by Rivas loaded the bases, Moras singled through the left side to plate two runs.
Leading off the second, Cesar Garrido singled to right, moved to second on one wild pitch and then to third on another. After a walk, Rombilus singled Garrido home, and then two outs later, Rivas singled in a run and Moras followed with an RBI single to make it 5-0. It was 6-0 after Kyle Bombace walked and scored on a Kyle Donnelly single to center.
STAC got one run back in the fifth, getting a leadoff, pinch hit triple from Chris Zapata and then an RBI double by David Schwartz. In the sixth, Vincent Malzahn launched a home run to right center field to close out the scoring.
