Spartan News: March 29 - April 4

Baseball:
The St. Thomas Aquinas baseball team went 3-0 for the week picking up a 4-3 non-conference victory over Nyack as well as topping Chestnut Hill in a double header earlier in the week. Kevin Ryan went 5-for-9 for the week scoring 3 runs and had 2 RBI. Ryan also pitched a perfect inning of relief for the Spartans in their 4-3 win over Nyack. Freshman Mike Apreda continued his hot hitting as well as his 9 game hitting streak going 6-for-13 this week including a double and 2 triples. In the Spartans first game against the Griffins, Mike Aviles picked up the win and Matt Marotta had the save and in game two Matt Matkovich picked up the win as STAC exploded for a 20-2 victory. Against Nyack, Brian LaMarr earned his first win going five scoreless innings and striking out five while Mark Fochesato picked up the save. The Spartans will play Dominican on Wednesday as well as a five game series versus ECC opponent Dowling throughout the week.

Softball:
The St. Thomas Aquinas women's softball team went 1-5 for the week picking up their first conference win with a 4-1 victory over Mercy. Sophomore Shariz Ruiz went 8-for-19 for the week with 4 runs and 3 RBI. Freshman Samantha Welsh had a strong week for STAC batting (.421) going 8-for-19 including 3 doubles and scoring 4 runs. Welsh also picked up her first win on the mound going 6 innings against Mercy giving up 5 hits, 1 run and stiking out 4. Angela Squillini added 5 RBI off 4 hits. The Lady Spartans will host Bridgeport for the home opener on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday's game will also represent St. Thomas Aquinas' National Student Athlete Day.

Women's Lacrosse:
The St. Thomas Aquinas lacrosse team went 0-1 for the week. Lindsey Lawless, Anne Buttafuoco and Sara Schmidt each scored two goals while Maryanne Kugler added one. Jen Kugler had 13 saves for STAC. The Lady Spartans will play PhiladelphiaUniversity on Tuesday at 4:30.
Men's Tennis:
The St. Thomas Aquinas men's tennis team went 1-1 this week with a 5-4 victory over UDC. The Spartans fell short against Dowling earlier in the week in their 6-3 loss. Against Dowling, freshmen Nic Jacques and Kilian Wantzen won their singles matches in the first and second flight. Paul Schumann also picked up a singles win for the Spartans. In the later game of the week, Jacques picked up a win in the second doubles flight while Wantzen won his singles match. Nick Cittadino, Mel Gonzales, and Ed Reiter each won their singles matches against UDC as well. The Spartans have a busy week as they host Adelphi, Queens and Caldwell this week.

Golf: The St. Thomas Aquinas Golf Team was ranked #2 in the region voted upon by the NCAA Division II Regional Golf Committee. The Spartans have won two out of their last three tournaments, coming in second place in the third. Junior Chris Fitzpatrick has won the last three tournaments and help guide the Spartans. The St. Thomas Aquinas golf team will play at the Dowling College Invitational on April 9th-10th.

Track & Field: The St. Thomas Aquinas track & field team did not compete over the weekend and will be compete on Friday at the Rowan Invitational inRowan, NJ.