Sparkill, N.Y. - Abbie Landrum and Carissa Della Vecchia threw back-to-back shutouts to lift St. Thomas Aquinas College to a doubleheader sweep of visiting College of Staten Island today in East Coast Conference softball play at Spartan Field. STAC won by the scores of 3-0 and 10-0 (five innings).

 

Before the game, the team's seniors were recognized in a Senior Day ceremony. The seniors honored were Della Vecchia, Kim Astrologo, Rudae Gadson, Lauren Christensen, Nikki MacDonald, Sarah Williams, Amanda Castro and Amanda Schweitzer.

 

Today's wins helped STAC maintain first place in the ECC with a 15-4 record and 22-18 overall. CSI dropped to 5-15 in the conference and 11-23 overall.

 

In the first game, STAC scored all of its runs in the fourth inning. Emilee Mayer and Castro opened the frame with singles and Schweitzer advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. MacDonald then poked a two-run double to break the scoreless tie and freshman Amanda Demmerle drove her in with an RBI double to left field. 

 

That was all of the run support that Landrujm required. The freshman righthander scattered four hits to post her fifth shutout of the season. Her record is now 10-12. MacDonald had seven assists at shortstop to back Landrum's superb mound work.

 

Della Vecchia was the star of the second game. She struck out 13 batters in five innings to break STAC's new single-season strikeout record that she set last season. Her previous record was 170 strikeouts and she now has 177. In addition to her outstanding pitching today, Della Vecchia also hit a two-run home run.

 

Mayer, Gadson and MacDonald all had two hits while Gadson added two RBI. 

 

STAC next meets Molloy College on Tuesday (April 26) in an ECC twinbill that begins at 2:30 p.m. at Spartan Field.