Rolando Alvarez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional ) threw his second complete game of the season as the Lincoln University baseball team, despite outhitting St. Thomas Aquinas College, fell to the Spartans, 2-1 in the second game of their four game conference series at Palisades CU Park in Pomona, New York Friday afternoon.
 
The Spartan win completed a two game sweep of the Lions on the afternoon, as STAC cruised to an 18-2 win in the opener.  Lincoln is now 1-26 on the season and 0-14 in East Coast conference games.  The Spartans improve to 13-19 overall and 5-9 in league play.
 
Alvarez allowed just four hits on the afternoon, while walking three and striking out two in the losing effort.   Lincoln outhit STAC 6-4 but was unable to produce enough offense to support the solid effort from Alvarez, who allowed only two runs for the second time in his last three starts.
 
The Lions got on the board first as RJ Liverpool (Richmond, Va./Monacan) singled to score Aidan Gomes (Bronx, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) in the second inning.  Gomes reached on a one-out double to left center and stole third base before scoring on the right-field single by Liverpool.
 
The Spartans tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the second in similar fashion; a double from Michael Morgan who scored on a single from Anthony Maisano two batters later.
 
Angelo Baez broke the tie with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, scoring Andrew Jemison, giving the Spartans a 2-1 lead.  Alvarez then got Morgan to ground out to end the inning.
 
Lincoln's strongest chance to produce a second run came in the third when Kashif Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) hit a one out single and moved to third on Malcolm Smith's (Los Angeles, Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) double.  Both runners were left stranded on the base paths.  Hill had his second hit of the game in the fifth inning, a one-out ground rule double and advanced to third on a groundout and remained there as the inning ended.
 
Hill extended his hitting streak to five games while Liverpool has now reached base in ten straight games and Smith in eight.
 
Chris Cepeda earned the win for the Spartans, also tossing a complete game while striking out 12 Lincoln batters.
 
In the opener, the Spartans banged out 23 hits as they cruised to an 18-2 win.
 
Ronald Gibbs (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) took the loss, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing 11 runs on 15 hits.  Hill and Gomes had two hits apiece.
 
Gibbs had allowed just four runs through the first four innings as Lincoln trailed 4-2 but the Lions' middle inning struggles continued as Gibbs gave up 7 runs in the fifth and sixth and Trevon Sutton (Chicago, Ill./Harlan Community Academy) who replaced  Gibbs with two out in the sixth game up four more runs, allowing the Spartans to blow the game open, 15-2 by the end of the seventh inning.
 
STAC scored two unearned runs in the first inning before the Lions got one back in the top half of the second. Smith and Gomes delivered back-to-back singles to start the inning and were advanced into scoring position on a Jason Aldred (Clinton, Md./Henry A. Wise ) sacrifice bunt.  Smith came around to score on Jordan Whisler's (Parkesburg, Pa./Octorara Area) groundout.
In the third Sheldon Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) doubled with one out and scored on Hill's single to left field, tying the game at 2-2.  The Spartans scored single runs in the third and fourth to take a 4-2 lead before the flood gates opened in the later innings.
 
Eleven different players drove in runs for the Spartans with Jemison and Kyle Lagrutta leading the way with three apiece. Lagrutta had four hits and Morgan added three (two doubles and a triple).  Maisano also had a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
 
John Greeley earned the win for STAC, allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out eight.
 
The Lions and the Spartans are back in action tomorrow to complete their four game series.  First pitch of the doubleheader starts at 1:00 p.m.at Palisades CU Park.