Posted: Apr 30, 2022
Bridgeport, Conn. - Emilie Olivier's two-out, three-run home run in the eighth inning carried St. Thomas Aquinas College to a thrilling 6-3 triumph over University of Bridgeport today that clinched the program's first-ever East Coast Conference regular-season softball title. STAC's victory also broke the program's record for most wins in the season.
Bridgeport won the first game of the doubleheader, 5-0. Both games were played at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
STAC, now 18-5 in the conference and 26-19 overall, will host the ECC playoffs that begin Wednesday at Spartan Field. It will be the Spartans' first home playoff game in program history. STAC is also currently ranked ninth in the weekly NCAA Division II East Region poll.
"Our girls never quit today," said STAC Head Coach Kristen Sullivan. "This is a very exciting day for our program. We bounced back from a slow start to the season to win the regular season title. That's a very significant accomplishment for this group of girls. They've worked extremely hard."
STAC's trademark resiliency was evident in the second game. In the first game, Bridgeport's Katie Burawski struck out 16 en route to a resounding shutout win. Burawski came back to start the second game, but STAC answered with three quick runs, Rudae Gadson and Tara Hagan stroked run-scoring singles in the big inning.
STAC pitcher Carissa Della Vecchia was in control until the bottom of the seventh inning when Bridgeport rallied from a 3-2 deficit to tie the score with three straight two-out singles. In the top of the eighth, Amanda Castro and Emilee Mayer hit singles before Olivier launched her two-strike, two-out home run over the left field fence into a stiff wind.
Gadson (second base) and Mayer (right field) sparkled with the gloves behind Della Vecchia, who struck out eight batters to reach 200-strikeout mark this season, the most ever in program history.
STAC next travels to Queens College tomorrow (May 1) to finish a suspended ECC game. It will begin at 3 p.m.