MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – With a three-game sweep at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, the St. Thomas baseball team improved its record to a perfect 5-0 to start the 2012 season.

Leading the charge for the Bobcats has been senior center fielder Joel Capote who has totaled ten stolen bases in the ten times he has reached base this season.  Capote's base running prowess included a four stolen base in the season opener vs. Florida Memorial followed by a three stolen base game and a rare steal of home in game two vs. FMU.

Over the weekend, the Bobcats played a three-game set at NCAA Division II Eckerd.  STU swept all three games by scores of 6-3, 13-6, and 2-1.

In game one on Friday night, Robert Rodriguez drove in two runs and Hector Acosta scored two runs to lead the Bobcats.  Corey Estrada pitched 2.2 innings of relief of starter Emilio Ogando to earn the win. Relievers Ashley Bullock and Dane Stone pitched 2.1 hitless innings to close out the game. Stone recorded the save, his second of the season.

Game one of a doubleheader on Saturday proved to be a slugfest with the Bobcats scoring 13 runs on 19 hits. Left fielder Hector Acosta hit his first home run of the season on way to a 4-5 day with four RBI.  Third baseman Victor Madrazo went 3-5 with an RBI.  In total, ten different Bobcats collected hits in the game, while nine different players scored runs.

In the second half of the double header and the season finale, St. Thomas won a pitcher's duel, 2-1.  Eckerd took an early one run lead in the second inning, but would be blanked the rest of the way as Bobcat pitching tossed five consecutive shutout innings allowing just three hits to close the game.  The tying and go-ahead runs came in the top of the fourth as Hector Bello hit an RBI double to score Acosta followed by a sacrifice fly by Elio Rey that scored Madrazo.  Junior lefty Michael Arostegui started the game and earned the win. Freshman righthander Rene Lozano pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, then junior Dane Stone pitched the seventh to earn his third save of the year.

The Bobcats hit the road again on Tuesday as they travel up to West Palm Beach to play Northwood in a matinee starting at 2 p.m.