Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. - St. Thomas Aquinas College scored four runs in the first inning and rode the pitching of Carissa Della Vecchia to its 20th win of the season with an 8-1 victory over host Mercy College today in the second game of an East Coast Conference softball doubleheader. Mercy won the first game, 4-2.

 

The Lady Spartans have now registered 20 wins in three straight full seasons (The 2020 season was suspended due to the pandemic.) and eight times in program history. The split allows STAC to maintain first place in the ECC with a 13-4 mark to go with its overall record of 20-16. Mercy is now 9-30 overall and 7-9 in the conference.

 

While the team reached a milestone, so did Della Vecchia. In posting her 11th win in 16 decisions, the lefty struck out four to become the program's all-time leader in strikeouts. She now has 331 strikeouts to surpass Jessica Gogatz, who played from 2004 to 2008, who was the previous all-time strikeout leader.

 

STAC bounced back from the loss in today's first game by sending eight batters to the plate and scoring four times. Emilie Olivier's leadoff walk was followed by singles by Abbie Landrum and Della Vecchia to load the bases. Emilee Mayer plated the first run with a sacrifice fly to left field and Schweitzer followed with a clutch RBI single. Sarah Williams blasted a long double to score Schweitzer, who also scored two runs. Landrum and Rudae Gadson drove in runs later in the game. 

 

Della Vecchia's effective pitching was backed by excellent defense by center fielder Amanda Demmerle.

 

In the first game, Olivier was the hitting star. The transfer student from Concordia College doubled in a run in the third inning and hit a solo home run in the seventh inning. 

 

STAC next travels to Caldwell University on Thursday (April 21) for a non-conference doubleheader that begins at 2:30 p.m.