Fort Myers, FL - For the second straight day the Clarkson University Baseball team struggled offensively against their opponent's number one starter, dropping a 7-1 decision to the University of St. Thomas Sunday afternoon at George Brett Field in the Gene Cusic Classic.

The Golden Knights close out their Florida trip with a 5-8 record after losing to the 2001 Division III National Champion Tommies and return north with a doubleheader against Cazenovia College next Sunday.

Junior righthander J.J. Lorence (Liverpool, NY) held the Tommies to one run through four innings and Clarkson was tied with St. Thomas 1-1 midway through the game. However, St. Thomas produced four straight hits in the top of the fifth inning and chased Lorence with a 4-1 advantage. The Tommies also added three more runs in the sixth inning for the final score.

Clarkson had an opportunity to break the game open in the fourth inning, loading the bases with one out after a Mike Onisk (Baldwinsville, NY) single. Freshman Brian Theilemann (Troy, NY) lifted a fly ball to center field to score Lorence from third base, but the Golden Knights could not produce another run and only gained one more base hit in the final three innings. Sophomore Rob Cowin (Albany, NY), senior Chad Sydor (Troy, NY) and junior Giovan Scialdone (Colonie, NY) were the only other players to get hits for Clarkson.