ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Top-seeded Molloy and second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas picked up wins to move into the winner's bracket on opening day of the 2024 ECC Softball Championship at Bob Klein Field on Thursday afternoon. The Lions held off fourth-seeded Mercy, 2-1, while the Spartans put up a four-run fifth inning to earn a 4-3 win over third-seeded Queens.
(1) Molloy 2, (4) Mercy 1
Box Score
The top-seeded Molloy softball team opened the East Coast Conference Tournament this afternoon with a 2-1 victory over fourth-seeded Mercy University. The win sends the Lions into the winner's portion of the bracket and they will face second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. for the right to advance to Championship Saturday. With the victory, Molloy improved to 29-20 on the season while Mercy fell to 14-27.
After two scoreless innings of play, the visiting Mavericks would be the first to strike, with a hit by pitch and sacrifice bunt setting Allison Murphy up to score on a single from Avery Miller.
The Lions responded in the home half of the third inning, with sophomore
Emily McGurk walking before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Graduate student
Emma Bachman legged out a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt before stealing second, putting two runners in scoring position. Senior
Chrissie Huhn reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Graduate student
Alex Burns sent a ball to short stop, but the Mavericks' catcher missed home plate, giving the left fielder the RBI fielder's choice to tie the game. A fourth-straight fielder's choice from freshman
Stevie Dabbadie doubled the lead, 2-1.
Defense would be the name of the game the rest of the way, with the team's combining for just five hits through the final four innings in a victory for the Lions. Both team's outfielders flashed the leather with diving catches from both Dylan Reyer and graduate student
Steph Conrade.
Top
Huhn, Bachman, Conrade, senior
Katie Hand and sophomore
Mae Savage each tallied a hit in the effort, with Bachman's double going down as the lone extra-base hit. Conrade and Bachman each stole a base. Freshman
Sophia Mariottini pitched all seven innings, striking out six batters, and conceding only one earned run on five hits. Burns and Dabbadie each plated one run.
The top-seeded Lions will take on the second-seeded Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas tomorrow (May 3) at 11:00 a.m. at Bob Klein Field.
Courtesy of Molloy University Sports Information
(2) St. Thomas Aquinas 4, (3) Queens 3
Box Score
Tara Hagan's run-scoring double culminated a three-run fifth inning to propel the St. Thomas Aquinas College Softball team to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Queens College on Thursday in the first round of the East Coast Conference playoffs at Bob Klein Field (RVC Sports Complex).
The exciting win also gave STAC its 30th win (30-21) for the second straight season.
The second-seeded Spartans advance to the second round Friday at 11 a.m. to meet top-seeded Molloy University, which topped Mercy University, 2-1, in today's other first-round game.
The decisive fifth inning rally erased a 3-0 deficit. Aliya Feerick led off with a single and fellow freshman Nayah Diaz doubled to deep left field. After Amanda Demmerle's single loaded the bases, Jessica Feerick knocked in STAC's first run with a RBI sacrifice fly. Eliana Raposo then drove home a run with a clutch double and Demmerle scampered home on an outfield error.
Hagan, a senior, then lined a 2-1 pitch into the right centerfield gap to drive in the eventual winning run. Diaz finished with three hits.
STAC pitcher Sarah Clancy posted her 17th win of the season by spacing nine hits. Jessica Feerick excelled defensively at third base.
STAC's second-round opponent Molloy is a very familiar one. The squads split their four regular-season series and have met in the ECC championship game in the last two seasons.
Courtesy of St. Thomas Aquinas College Sports Information