Ponoma, N.Y. – In two close hard-fought contests, the Molloy baseball team dropped both games of a double header (7-6 and 1-0) to the Spartans of Saint Thomas Aquinas College Saturday afternoon at Clover Stadium. Molloy moved to 23-13 overall and 11-4 in conference play, while the Spartans improved to 17-6 overall and 11-4 in league play.
Game One: Molloy 6, STAC 7
- The Spartans struck first, hanging five runs in the second inning off three run scoring singles to take a 5-0 lead.
- Through five innings, the Lions' bats were held silent as STAC starter Andrew Alameda kept the visiting team from putting together any threats.
- Molloy finally broke through in the top of the sixth. Junior Aidan Larkin singled home a run, junior Garrett Scavelli scored following a wild pitch, junior Gavin McAlonie recorded an RBI after reaching on an error, graduate student Jake McCarthy drove in a run with a triple, and junior Matt Yip tallied a run scoring single to cap a five-run inning to knot the contest at five.
- The home team broke the tie quickly in the bottom of the inning, connecting with a solo home run to pull back in front, 6-5.
- The cardinal and white answered in the top of the seventh, when Scavelli drove in sophomore JJ DeVito with a sacrifice fly to bring the game all square, 6-6.
- In the eighth, STAC led off the frame with a double and would bring around the runner off an RBI single to go in front, 7-6, where the game would stay as the Spartans held the Lions scoreless in the ninth to clinch the victory, 7-6.
- Larkin tallied two hits and one RBI.
- DeVito collected two hits and two runs scored.
- Scavelli, McAlonie, McCarthy, and Yip drove in a run each.
Game Two: Molloy 0, STAC 1
- Stellar pitching from freshman Sean Welsh and STAC starter Aaron Dona kept both team's bats allowing four hits combined for the entirety of the game.
- STAC broke the tie recording a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth to take a 1-0 lead.
- Molloy looked to respond in the in the sixth getting a runner to third base, but the Spartans would reject the opportunity and go on to win the game, 1-0.
- Welsh tossed a complete game allowing one run on two hits and struck out two.
Up Next
Molloy will wrap-up its series with STAC tomorrow, April 16. First pitch from Mitchel Field is set for 12:00 p.m.