Tom Nagy
Tom Nagy

3 Homers, including 2 by Nagy, Not Enough as Bentley Falls to St. Thomas Aquinas, 10-8

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Despite two home runs by senior right fielder Tom Nagy (Fairfield, Conn./ Ludlowe HS) and another from junior shortstop Zachary Littman (Abington, Mass./Abington HS), the Bentley University Falcons dropped a 10-8 decision to St. Thomas Aquinas College in non-conference college baseball Tuesday afternoon at Rollins College's Alfond Stadium.

Bentley, which had won the first two of the three-game series with the reigning NCAA Division II East Region champs, led 5-3 after five before the bullpen gave up six runs over the final four innings.

The Falcons totaled ten hits with most of the offense coming from the three-through-five spots in the order as senior center fielder Mike Muir (Bridgewater, Mass./Xaverian HS), Nagy and Littman combined for seven hits, six RBI, five runs scored and 18 total bases.

Down 4-1 after STAC struck for three in the third, Bentley battled back with two in both the fourth and fifth innings. Both runs in the fourth were unearned as a result of a pair of Spartan errors, and Nagy followed a Muir lead-off single in the fifth with a home run to right to put the Falcons up 5-4.

St. Thomas scored once in the sixth to tie the game and made it a 9-5 contest with four in the seventh on consecutive two-out RBI singles by junior left fielder John DeAngelis (Brooklyn, N.Y.), junior shortstop Brandon  Fischer (East Northport, N.Y.), junior catcher Richard Cesca (Congers, N.Y.) and freshman DH Joey Fusco (Westbury, N.Y.).

Littman's two-run homer in the seventh, his first as a collegian, brought the Falcons to within two at 9-7, but Bentley (2-7) went into its final at bat down three after STAC added an insurance run in the top of the ninth.

After the first two hitters were retired, Nagy brought the Falcons within two with a home run to left, the 14th of his career. A Littman single and a pair of walks loaded the bases before senior righty Christian Santo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) came in from the bullpen to get a game-ending strikeout.

DeAngelis, Fischer and Cesca each had two RBI for STAC, whose 15 hits included three by Fischer and freshman second baseman Joseph Pena (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

Nagy finished three-for-four with three RBI and ten total bases. Littman and Muir both had two hits for the Falcons but the rest of the team was just 3 of 26, including 0-for-8 with runners on base.

Bentley will return to action on Thursday with a 2:30 game against the University of Bridgeport at Rollins.