PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The Caldwell College baseball team defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College, 12-6 in a non-conference game Friday afternoon at Smith Field. The victory gives the Cougars a 24-15 record on the season, while the Spartans fall to 22-20. Senior Chris Chiarappa (Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity) hit a home run and three doubles to help the Cougars register 14 hits on the day.

After the Spartans took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by John Mazzello in the top of the first, Caldwell put four runs on the board in the bottom of the second. Senior Chris Chiarappa (Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity) hit a solo shot to centerfield, then sophomore Doug Hilgenberg (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) followed a double by freshman Gabriel Molina (Bronx, NY/Monroe) with a two-run homer. An unearned run made the score 4-1 after two innings.

The Cougars had another big inning in the fifth, with three runs coming home on bases-loaded walks and a two-run single by Molina for a 9-1 lead. Run-scoring doubles by Joe Giustino and Mazzello in the fifth cut the Spartans' deficit to 9-3. But the Cougars answered with three runs in the sixth on RBI singles by sophomore Ray Keelan (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional) and freshman Edgar Santos (Woodside, NY/Bryant), and another bases-loaded walk for a 12-3 advantage. But the Spartans did not go away quietly, as Mazzello drove in another run and Fernando Peralta hit a two-run homer to make the score 12-6.

Junior right-hander Eric Hines (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) pitched six innings and gave up three runs on four hits to improve to 4-1 on the season. Freshman Juan Mejia (Ocean City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) pitched the final three innings to earn his first collegiate save.

Next up for Caldwell is a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at the University of the Sciences on Saturday, Apr. 26. The first game starts at 12:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.