Purple Knights Drop 8-5 Non-Conference Baseball Road Decision To St. Thomas Aquinas

Pomona, N.Y.-The University of Bridgeport baseball team saw its overall record slip to 3-8 overall on Friday, as the Purple Knights dropped an 8-5 decision to the host St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans in a game that did not count in the East Coast Conference standings.  With the victory, STAC is now 17-8 overall.

UB jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Friday scoring single runs in the fourth and fifth innings on Spartans' errors.  St. Thomas Aquinas rallied to take a 3-3 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning when Bridgeport's Eric Schlitter (Sr., Guilford, Conn.) ties thing at 3-3 with an RBI double.  STAC stormed back in the bottom of seventh with four runs to take a 7-3 lead which they never gave up on their way to the 8-5 win.

The Purple Knights scored two more runs in the top of the ninth on a two-RBI single by sophomore Kyle Ferri (Milford, Conn.).

Senior Matt Ranaudo (Milford, Conn.) led the UB offense going 3-for-5 on the afternoon, and Schlitter added two doubles for the Purple Knights.

Junior Nicholas Santiago (Bronx, N.Y.), the third of four Bridgeport pitchers, took the loss.

Bridgeport is back in action on Sunday afternoon at 12 noon when they host the Dowling College Golden Lions in an ECC doubleheader at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.