Box Score

POMONA, N.Y. - East Stroudsburg University scored a run in the top of the ninth and got the tying run to third base, but St. Thomas Aquinas held on for a 3-2 win in non-conference baseball on Wednesday afternoon.

ESU (16-16-1) takes on Shippensburg in this weekend's PSAC East four-game series, hosting a doubleheader on Friday at 12 p.m. and traveling to Ship on Saturday.

ESU and St. Thomas Aquinas (23-12) combined for just eight hits. ESU had 11 baserunners on three hits and eight walks, and the Spartans had 12 baserunners (five hits, six walks, HBP). There were 20 combined runners left on base, 11 by ESU and nine by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Redshirt junior left-hander Mike Pepio started and went 4.0 innings for ESU (1 run, 3 hits, 2 strikeouts).

Redshirt senior 2B Jay Young, junior C Steven Zimmerman, Jr. and redshirt senior 1B Dylan Tamecki had ESU's three hits.

Anthony Shkrelja earned the win for St. Thomas Aquinas, throwing 5.0 innings (1 run, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts, 4 walks). He was followed by four relievers, with Chris Pennell credited with the save, getting the final three outs after entering with runners on first and second.

The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the third, and both teams scored in the fifth - freshman SS Joey Paolini had a leadoff walk and later scored on a wild pitch for the Warriors, and St. Thomas Aquinas scored an unearned run off freshman left-hander Tyler Stafursky in the bottom half.

ESU trailed 3-1 going to the top of the ninth and got a pair of leadoff walks, from redshirt freshman OF Tom Nuneviller and Paolini. After a double steal, Nuneviller scored on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly by redshirt senior Conner Crookham to get it to 3-2. Senior OF Ian Allen drew an intentional walk and Paolini moved to third on a groundout, but Pennell got the final out.

Allen's walk was the 99th of his career, tied for second-most in school history. It also marked his 300th time reaching base via hit, walk or hit by pitch, fifth-most at ESU.