Baseball's Rally Falls Short in 4-3 Loss at STAC
Box Score POMONA, N.Y. (Apr. 11, 2014) - The LIU Post baseball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but couldn't hang on as St. Thomas Aquinas topped the Pioneers, 4-3, in an East Coast Conference tilt Friday at Provident Bank Park in Pomona, N.Y.
In the top of the first, seniors
Tom Tolan (Malverne, N.Y.) and
Vinny Iacono (Nesconset, N.Y.), along with junior
Joey Arena (Yorktown, N.Y.), collected three straight hits to give LIU Post (10-9, 4-4 ECC) a 1-0 advantage. Junior
Anthony Brunetti (Bayville, N.Y.) followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Iacono to put the green and gold up 2-0 before the hosts came to bat.
St. Thomas Aquinas (19-10, 9-4 ECC) answered though with two runs of its own in the bottom of the second that ended freshman
James Long's (Oceanside, N.Y.) day. Sophomore
Chris Anderson (West Islip, N.Y.) subsequently tossed two scoreless innings before allowing two earned runs in the bottom of the fifth, giving the Spartans a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The Pioneers showed life, however. In the top of the ninth. Freshman
Brian Tinney (Farmingdale, N.Y.) singled to lead off the frame. Junior
Rick Alessi (St. James, N.Y.) kept the rally going with a walk. Tolan then plated Tinney with a single, before Iacono, Arena and Brunetti were shut down by the Spartans' closer, C.J. Ferriggi.
Tolan was 4-for-5 on the day with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman
Thomas Asbaty (Randolph, N.J.) added two hits, while Tinney had two hits and a run scored.
The Pioneers and Spartans resume their four-game set on Saturday (Apr. 12) with a twinbill at the LIU Post Baseball Field in Brookville, N.Y. First pitch for Game One is slated for noon.