YAPHANK, N.Y. (Mar. 24, 2017) - On Friday, the LIU Post baseball team kicked off its 2017 East Coast Conference slate with a sweep of St. Thomas Aquinas College at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank.

The Pioneers, who improved to 10-8 overall and 2-0 in ECC play, claimed a 6-3 victory in the opener and won by a 15-7 final in the nightcap.

Game #1: LIU Post 6, St. Thomas Aquinas 3
Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Pioneers went ahead for good on an RBI double by sophomore shortstop Jimmy Mendyk (Massapequa, N.Y.).

Then, in the eighth, LIU Post plated two key insurance runs to increase its lead to 6-3.

Senior catcher Thomas Asbaty (Randolph, N.J.) scored on an infield error in the inning, while fellow senior Kyle Fagan (Wantagh, N.Y.) came home on a well-executed safety squeeze bunt by junior second baseman Joe Spitaleri (Levittown, N.Y.).

The green and gold also jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the contest. Sophomore outfielder Dave Brehm (Bohemia, N.Y.) put the hosts on the board with a two-RBI double in the first inning.

Two innings later, junior outfielder Rob Andreoli (North Wantagh, N.Y.) led off the frame with a solo homer to right, off Spartans' starter Anthony Morris (New City, N.Y.).

Senior pitcher Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) won his third-straight decision for the Pioneers. He tossed seven innings of six-hit, three-run (two earned), three-walk, seven-strikeout ball.

Fellow senior pitchers Brian Tinney (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Dan Jagiello (West Islip, N.Y.) both threw a scoreless inning of relief, en route to earning the hold and save, respectively.

Game #2: LIU Post 15, St. Thomas Aquinas 7
Trailing 4-1 in the nightcap, the Pioneers put up an eight-spot in the bottom of the third to grab a commanding 9-4 lead.

The green and gold sent 13 batters to the plate and collected six hits in the frame, led by an Andreoli two-run homer. Brehm, Spitaleri and sophomore catcher Anthony Vaglica (Franklin Square, N.Y.) added RBI singles.

The LIU Post offense wasn't done there. The Pioneers tacked on six more runs over the next four innings to pull away for the sweep.

Brehm launched a lead-off solo blast in the fourth. Asbaty and Vaglica hit respective two-run homers in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings.

Freshman pitcher Noah Lorenzo (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) got the win in the decision, allowing nine hits, four runs and one walk with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Head Coach Mike Gaffney and his LIU Post squad are back in action Saturday (Mar. 25), when they close out their four-game series against St. Thomas Aquinas with a doubleheader in Sparkill. First pitch is scheduled for noon.