FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Thiel College baseball team suffered a 16-9 defeat to the Dominican University Stars on the third day of competition at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Tomcats got out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Three of those runs came behind a mammoth home run to left field by Trent Mosley (South Euclid, Ohio/Brush) that scored Dan Koller (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and Trent Smith (Franklin, Pa./Franklin). Koller and Nick Grice (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) also drove in runs in the first inning.

After the Stars gained the lead in the third inning, the Tomcats tied up the game at six in the top of the fourth inning on a RBI single by Bryan Mitchell (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) that scored Grice from second.

The Stars then tied up the game in the bottom half of the fourth inning. The Tomcats took the lead 9-7 in the seventh inning when Sam Passafiume (Medina, Ohio/Medina) doubled home Koller on a hit to the left center field gap. After Doody walked and was pinch ran for by Filippo Costanzo (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), Grice knocked home Costanzo and Passafiume on a two RBI double.

Dominican took the lead for good after scoring five runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth inning.

Mitchell paced the Tomcat offense notching four hits in five plate appearances. Koller, Passafiume and Grice each collected three hits while Grice and Mosley each drove home three runs.

The Tomcats (2-2) will return to action Wednesday at 9 a.m. when they take on the Alvernia Crusaders t the Player Development Complex.