Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Junior righty Ryan Murphy (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) struck out a career-high 12 batters to lead the Le Moyne College baseball team to a 3-1 win over St. Thomas Aquinas College in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday at The Ripken Experience. The Spartans won the nightcap, 5-2.

Following five innings of scoreless action to start the first game, the Dolphins plated three runs on just one hit in the top of the sixth inning. Senior left fielder/third baseman Nicholas Jacques (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa), junior right fielder Michael Smith (Montebello, N.Y./Suffern) and senior center fielder Justin Tuey (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) drew consecutive walks to load the bases and force a pitching change. Junior catcher Drew Fureno (Canajoharie, N.Y./Fort Plain) then drew a walk to force in Jacques with the game's first run. After back-to-back strikeouts, sophomore shortstop Nick Nevins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) was hit by a pitch to force in Smith. Sophomore first baseman Andrew Roden (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) followed with a single to right field to drive in Tuey.

The Spartans cut into their deficit into the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to plate the tying run. Second baseman Matthew Johnson singled to left field with one out and moved to second on a groundout. Right fielder James Versage then doubled to left field to knock in Johnson. Murphy struck out the next batter to end the game.

Murphy struck out at least two batters in four of the seven innings, while scattering four hits and two walks, to earn his 15th career victory. Donald Hazelton took the loss for the Spartans after all three batters he faced (and walked) came around to score.

In the nightcap, the Dolphins struck first with a run in the first inning. Sophomore second baseman Drew Carroll (Clifton Park, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Albany)) led off the inning with a walk and moved around to third on a single to left by Nevins. Roden then grounded into a double play, which allowed Carroll to score.

Le Moyne scored another run in the second on a pair of hits. Smith walked to start the frame, advanced to second on a single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tuey. Sophomore catcher Ty Syta (Hamburg, N.Y./St. Francis) followed with a single to center to drive in Smith.

St. Thomas Aquinas evened the score at two in the third without getting a hit. Center fielder Anthony Maisano and third baseman Andrew Jemison walked to open the inning. Johnson then reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, which allowed Maisano to score. Following an out and a walk to load the bases, catcher Kyle Lagrutta lifted a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Jemison.

The Spartans took advantage of three Le Moyne errors in the fifth to score two runs. Jemison reached on a dropped pop up by the shortstop and then moved to second on a throwing error by the pitcher on a pickoff attempt. After a fly out and Jemison getting thrown out at home on a single by Versage, left fielder Dylan Klock reached on a fielding error by the third baseman, which allowed Versage to score the go-ahead run. After a pitching change and a walk, first baseman Brian Donnelly singled to left field to drive in Klock.

After the Dolphins stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, St. Thomas Aquinas finished off the game's scoring with a run in the seventh. Klock reached on a fielding error by the shortstop with one out and then stole second. After a strikeout, Donnelly singled to left to plate Klock for the second time in the game.

Junior southpaw Joe Vail (Cromwell, Conn./Xavier) suffered the loss after allowing four unearned runs over four and two-thirds innings, while striking out seven. Reyan Mustafoski earned the win for the Spartans after striking out six over six innings, while yielding two runs and six hits. John Greeley picked up the save after posting a strikeout in the seventh.

Le Moyne (3-3) is back in action on Saturday against the University of Bridgeport at 11:00 a.m.