(04-20-08)
Box Score
WEST HAVEN, Conn. -- The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team scored 11 of its 12 runs in the seventh and eighth innings to defeat University of New Haven 12-4 on Sunday afternoon at Tappan Zee High School.
STAC (20-19, 11-8 ECC) climbed to within one game of first place New Haven (17-18, 12-7 ECC) after winning the season series, two games to one. Vincent Malzahn and Mike Triana each drove in three runs for the Spartans, while Pat Murray and Chris Zapata had two RBI's apiece.
UNH got two RBI's from Tom Ballaro (photo), while Jimmy Rivas and Adam Rozum drove in a run each. Starting pitcher Dan Blake lasted 6 2/3 innings but gave up five runs - only three of which were earned. Four bullpen pitchers combined to allow seven runs over the final 1 1/3 innings as the Chargers lost an ECC series for the first time this season.
With the game tied at 1-all heading to the bottom of the seventh, STAC blew things open with four runs on four hits, a sacrifice fly and a two errors.
UNH got three runs back in the top of the eighth, with Rozum doubling home Evan Okon and Ballaro plating Michael Moras and Rozum with a two-run, pinch-hit single.
But down 5-4, the Chargers allowed seven runs in the bottom half of the frame as STAC ran away with the victory. The Spartans sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning against three different relief pitchers, getting four hits, two hit-by-pitches and three walks to manufacture their runs.
The Chargers travel to UMass Lowell for a non-conference contest on Monday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m.
