MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- St. Thomas (18-8) recorded 30 hits to wipe out Nyack (4-5) by a final score of 21-6 on Friday night during the STU Invitational.
The hit and run parade started early and continued throughout the night.

In the bottom of the first with the bases loaded, David Palenzuela was up to bat. A full count, two outs dilemma is what Palenzuela found himself in and he dominated the battle. The ball found the sweet spot on his bat as his fifth homerun of the season came in the form of a grand slam. What an opening inning for the Bobcats, one which saw a very efficient Bobcats offense, five runs off of five hits.

The second inning brought more of the same for the Bobcats. Back-to-back homers from Michael Centeno (ninth of the season) and Jack Diaz (third of the season), helped the St. Thomas score continue to rise. James Spatafora came up to the plate and dished out a dagger line drive to left field, earning him a double and an RBI. The score line at the end of the second read 8-0.

The Warriors came in to the third inning ready to attack, and they did just that. Three runs scored, something that didn't phase the offensive efforts from the STU power line-up. An RBI double from Centeno to dead center and a floating single to shallow right from Diaz brought in two more runs, which extended the Bobcat lead yet again.

The fourth inning brought in three more runs from an Oscar Rodriguez double down the line, a Centeno double to dead center and a Diaz floater to shallow right field.

The Bobcats continued to ride, as the driver's seat proved to be the only seat to suit them well. The pure domination from beginning to end proved to be statement maker for this STU Invitational.

Six Bobcats registered three or more hits. Orlando Rivera went 5-of-7 to lead the way followed by Oscar Rodriguez (4-of-7), Centeno (4-of-5), Diaz (4-of-6), Randy Oliva (3-of-4) and Spatafora (3-of-4), all assisting in the powerful hitting night. Five STU players had three or more RBI: Centeno (5), Palenzuela (4), Rivera (3), Oscar Rodriguez (3) and Diaz (3). On the night, there were seven doubles throughout the course of this game for the Bobcats, truly complementing the three home runs in the game.

Some notable numbers on the night for the Bobcats come in the form of hits, RBI and HR. Rivera closed out his night with five hits, three RBI and three runs. Centeno added a HR in this game, a team-high eight HR on the season, which blended well with his four hits, five RBI and three doubles.
Erne Valdes improved to 6-0.  He pitched six innings, allowing no earned runs while striking out 11.

St Thomas returns to action on Saturday at 6 p.m. vs. Adelphi at Paul Demie Mainieri Field.