Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Softball team closed out their 2025 Regular Season schedule with an ECC doubleheader split against Molloy University on Senior Day Sunday at Spartan Field. Game one went to the Spartans 3-2, before the visiting Lions rallied to take game two, 7-6.

STAC moves to 28-17 overall and 16-4 in ECC play, and will be the top seed and hosts in the upcoming East Coast Conference Softball Tournament. Meanwhile, Molloy goes to 19-29 and 11-9, and will be the No. 3 seed in the postseason.

Prior to the first pitch of game one, the Spartans honored Sarah Clancy, Lauren Krokondelas, Madison Puppolo and Eliana Raposo in a Senior Day ceremony which included the athletes' families, friends, teammates and coaches, along with the college's athletic department administration.

Once the teams got down to business on the diamond, Eliana Raposo set the tone early for the maroon and gold with a two-run shot to left-center field in the bottom of the first inning. In doing so, Raposo vaulted herself to the top of the record books, setting a new single-season mark for home runs with her 12th of the year.

Molloy answered with a two-run homer of their own in the fourth to knot the score at 2-2. However, a two-out RBI single from Sofia Marella in the fifth inning broke the tie, as the speedy Elyse Marcano came around to score from second base to make it 3-2 STAC. Starting pitcher Sarah Clancy worked in and out of minor trouble in the sixth and seventh innings to maintain the one-run advantage until the final out was recorded.

As for the lefty Clancy, she allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings of work to run her record to 15-9 on the year.

Game two saw the Spartans jump out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning via Olivia Leon's RBI base knock and Elyse Marcano's two-run double. Molloy answered with three runs of their own in the fifth to tie things up at 3-3, but a Lion's wild pitch in the bottom of the frame, scored Marcano to put STAC back in the lead, 4-3.

The visitors from Long Island would then retake the lead for good with a four-run top of the seventh inning to make it 7-4. A valiant comeback effort for the maroon and gold came up short in the end, as a double steal by Marcano and Jordyn Gautier, followed by Adriana Coira's RBI single narrowed the deficit to just 7-6 with just one out. Unfortunately, that is where the good fortune ended for the Spartans. Eliana Raposo's double down the left field line rolled all the way to the fence, but a relay throw from the outfield to the shortstop and then on to the catcher got Coira by a half a step for the second out. A Sofia Marella fly out to center field ended the game and regular season action.

Madison Puppolo (L, 13-6) went the distance in the circle and surrendered seven runs (four earned) on nine hits with three walks and four Ks.

No. 1 STAC next opens postseason play on Thursday, May 1 at Spartan Field against No. 4 seeded D'Youville University (19-17, 9-11 ECC). First pitch of the East Coast Conference double-elimination format tournament is set for noon. The Spartans took all four games with the Saints in the regular season, winning in both Buffalo (8-1 & 8-0) and Sparkill (3-0 & 9-3).