St. Thomas Wins Big Over Nova In 7A-16 Final

St. Thomas and Nova meeting for the district title has become old hat. What was different this year was St. Thomas dominating like it did Friday night.

Behind a strong pitching performance from Frank Rubio, the Raiders romped, 13-2 over the Titans for St. Thomas’ third consecutive win over their arch nemesis.

The victory gives St. Thomas (16-6) home-field advantage for its regional quarterfinal match-up Thursday against Monarch (11-8). Nova (13-8) will travel to Northeast (12-9), which won its first district title since the late 1990s Thursday night.

Rubio pitched five innings, striking out nine and walking three while giving up two hits and one earned run as he earned his seventh win for the season.

St. Thomas, which beat Nova 7-3 twice this season, used a balance approach on offense as all but two batters had at least one hit. Will Arpin led the Raiders at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, and Christian Demby went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Peter Nicoletto went 2-for-4 with two runs.

Alec Byrd and Ross Thibeault went 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, and Rafael Amanau went 1-for-2.

The teams have met for the district title for the past seven years, with St. Thomas winning four of those times. St. Thomas’ last district title came in 2010.

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