POMONA, N.Y. – A late offensive push by St. Thomas Aquinas College downed the LIU Post baseball team as the Pioneers dropped the series opener, 7-5 at Palisades Credit Union Stadium May 4.
 
The Spartans scored all seven runs during their final three at-bats of the contest, taking the lead for good on an RBI-double by Joseph Pena and a two-run home run by Giovanni Dingcong in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
Junior Anthony Vaglica gave the Green and Gold an early lead when he singled home junior Dave Brehm for the game's first run in the second inning. Vaglica added to the Pioneer lead with a solo shot to left field two innings later and picked up his third run batted in of the day in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs behind an RBI-double by Tyler Patane and a two-run home run by Ruiz. An inning later Pena and Dingcong kept things rolling with the double and home run to put the Spartans ahead 6-4. The Pioneers got one more run back in the eighth on a one-out single from sophomore Zach Fritz. LIU Post stranded a runner on third base, however, in what proved to be the final threat of the afternoon. A final insurance run in the eighth inning helped the Spartans hang on for the 7-5 final score.
 
Junior Michael Manzione, Brehm, Vaglica, and Fritz all finished with two hits apiece for the Pioneers. Brehm added three runs scored on the day and Vaglica added three RBIs.
 
LIU Post will host games two and three of the series tomorrow on Senior Day as the team will honor Ramger Iglesias, Brian Tinney, Joe Spitaleri and Rob Andreoli prior to game one.