POMONA, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball team picked up its sixth straight victory Wednesday, March 29, defeating St. Thomas Aquinas College 12-7 in non-conference action to improve to 16-2 on the year.
The Setters (16-2, 0-0 NE10) got on the board instantly, getting a leadoff walk followed by a two-run homer from senior outfielder
Matthew Rinaldi (Scarsdale, N.Y./Eastchester) to take the early lead. Pace had a chance to add even more to the lead, but a line drive was caught and turned into a double play by the Spartans (9-12).
After STAC went down without scoring in the home half of the first, the Setters exploded for five more runs in the second inning to blow the game open. Junior outfielder
Luke Rivara (Lake Worth, Fla./Saint John Paul II Academy) got things started with a double and came around to score on a sac fly from Rinaldi. Sophomore catcher
Hunter Goldstein (Jericho, N.Y./Jericho) then brought in freshman infielder
Robbie Caffrey (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) with a run-scoring single, making it a 4-0 game.
Grad student outfielder
Mitchell McCabe (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford/ Bridgton Academy) kept it going, driving an RBI triple to centerfield for the third run of the inning, then came in to score on a wild pitch. Then with two out and two on, an RBI hit by junior third baseman
Anthony Labita (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) made it a seven-run lead for the visitors. The Setters loaded the bases with a chance to do even more damage but left them full to end the second.
Neither team recorded a hit in their next turns at bat, and the score remained the same until the top of the fourth. Sophomore shortstop
Mason Baronian (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) led things off with a double, then came in to score after a sacrifice fly from Caffrey to make it 8-0.
Pace continued to pile on the runs in the fifth, scoring twice to extend the lead to 10. Goldstein led off the inning with a single and came in on an RBI double by grad student outfielder
Luke Jacobi (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens). Jacobi then came in on Labita's second RBI hit of the day, bringing it to a 10-0 score.
The Spartans got one across in the bottom of the fifth, getting a one-out RBI double from Andrew Jemison to get their first run of the day.
STAC got two runners on with one out in the sixth, looking to draw closer. A walk filled the bases, and a groundout to first base brought in the Spartans' second run. With runners on second and third, a two-run single brought in two more and made it 10-4 at the end of six.
The teams combined for one hit over the next two innings, bringing the game to the ninth with Pace still holding a four-run lead.
After Caffrey doubled to start the inning, Goldstein brought him in with an RBI single with two out. Goldstein then moved to second on a wild pitch and came in on a run-scoring hit by McCabe, extending the lead to 12-4.
With two out in the bottom of the ninth, the Spartans scored three runs thanks to a two-run double by Kyle Lagrutta and RBI single from Nick O'Connor. However, the Setters were able to record the final out, taking a 12-7 victory on the day.
Rinaldi had three RBI on the day, while Labita, Goldstein and McCabe each drove in a pair.
Up Next
Pace kicks off NE10 play Friday, March 31, when they face the University of New Haven in a home doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
