LARUSSO DRIVES IN TWO RIBBIES AS BASEBALL DROPS 10-3 DECISION TO STAC IN ECC CHAMPIONSHIP

Box Score vs. STAC - May 8, 2009

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (May. 8, 2009) - Sophomore outfielder Robert LaRusso (Bayside, N.Y.) notched a pair of RBI on Friday afternoon, but it did not get the job done as the second-seeded Molloy College baseball team lost to third-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College by a 10-3 count in an East Coast Conference Championship game at Lions' Field in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the defeat, the Lions fell to 26-18 overall. As for the Spartans, they improved to a ledger of 25-21 on the year. STAC has also won five straight and seven of its last eight contests.

Molloy registered the first run of the match in Bottom-1 when LaRusso drove in senior shortstop Patrick Walsh (Bellmore, N.Y.) from second by courtesy of a two-out RBI single to left field. Three innings later, STAC tied up the game, and got more, as it scored five runs for a 5-1 lead. Sophomore infielder Dan McDermott (Levittown, N.Y.) belted a standing two-RBI triple to left-center. Freshman outfielder Nick Barbalato (Mahopac, N.Y.) sent a run home as well via a squeeze play. Junior infielder Vin Malzahn (Sparrowbush, N.Y.) came in.

In the top of the fifth, the Spartans posted another run to extend the lead to 6-1. Senior infielder Chris Zapata (Stamford, Conn.) notched an RBI single to left-center, which plated sophomore infielder Dan Stroud (Central Nyack, N.Y.). Malzahn put the game away for good one inning later as he belted a three-run no-doubter well beyond the high right field wall. That homer - his second of the season - gave St. Thomas Aquinas a comfortable 9-1 cushion after six innings of action.

Sophomore pitcher Mike Aviles (Suffern, N.Y.) got his fourth win (4-3) for STAC. He tossed 7.0 innings of two-hit, two-walk, one-run (none earned) ball. He also struck out four in the process. Junior righty and All-ECC first-team recipient Steven Stewart (Levittown, N.Y.) suffered the defeat to drop to 4-5 on the season. He pitched four innings - giving up seven hits, five runs (four earned) and two walks, while fanning three.

Head Coach Joe Fucarino and the Lions continue ECC Championship play tomorrow when they do battle with the fourth-seeded Golden Lions of Dowling College in an elimination contest. First pitch is slated for 9 a.m.