Flushing, N.Y. - Tara Hagan stroked a two-run single and Carissa Della Vecchia struck out the side to help St. Thomas Aquinas College post a 3-0 win today over host Queens College in the continuation of an East Coast Conference softball game suspended on April 14.

 

The win closed the regular season for STAC, which won the ECC regular-season title with a 19-5 record and an overall mark of 27-19. Queens finished the season at 8-16 in the ECC and 8-28 overall.

 

STAC, now ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Division II East Region weekly poll, will meet Mercy College in the first round of the double-elimination ECC playoffs on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at Spartan Field. Top-seeded STAC will host the entire conference tournament, which will continue on Friday and Saturday in Sparkill.

 

STAC didn't waste time in grabbing the lead today. Emilie Olivier, the hero of yesterday's win over University of Bridgeport, started the eighth inning on second base where she was when the game was suspended. She advanced to third base on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch. Hagan, a sophomore, followed later with a single to score teammates Rudae Gadson and Amanda Schweitzer. Hagan has now hit safely in seven of STAC's last eight games.

 

Della Vecchia put the finishing touches on another mound gem. She struck out three straight batters to finish with a nifty three-hitter with 12 strikeouts. It was her fifth shutout of the season.