Sparkill, N.Y. - St. Thomas Aquinas College exploded for 10 runs in the first inning and never looked back as Lauren Falk tossed a no-hitter to lead the maroon and gold to a 13-0 victory over Mercy University in the East Coast Conference Softball Tournament on Friday morning at Spartan Field.

Top-seeded STAC, now 32-12, will meet third-seeded D'Youville University in the championship round on Sunday (May 10) at 10:00 a.m. at Spartan Field. D'Youville eliminated No. 4 College of Staten Island (8-2) and No. 2 Mercy University (7-4) to advance in the four-team, double elimination tourney. The Spartans will only need to defeat the Saints once on Sunday to win their third conference crown in the last four years, while D'Youville would need to beat STAC twice to capture their second straight league title.

13-0 STAC (Five Innings)

St. Thomas Aquinas wasted no time taking control, exploding for 10 first-inning runs on the way to a dominant 13–0 victory over Mercy in five innings on Friday morning.

Spartans Erupt for 10-Run First

St. Thomas Aquinas wasted no time taking control, sending 15 batters to the plate during a dominant 10-run first inning.

Elyse Marcano started the scoring after crossing home on a bases-loaded walk by Sofia Marella. Moments later, Adriana Coira scored on a wild pitch to make it 2–0 before Trinadey Santiago delivered the biggest hit of the frame, blasting a three-run homer to center field for a quick 5–0 advantage.

The Spartans kept piling on from there. Adriana Coira lined a two-run single to right field, Olivia Leon followed with an RBI single, and Santiago capped the inning with another clutch hit — a two-run single to left — stretching the lead to 10–0 before Mercy could record the final out.

Power Continues in Middle Innings

The Spartans added to their lead in the third when Sofia Marella launched a solo homer to left field, pushing the margin to 11–0.

An inning later, Marcano ripped an RBI double into left-center to score Yazmine Garcia and extend the lead again.

In the fifth, STAC closed out the scoring on a sacrifice fly from Garcia that brought home Santiago for the game's final run.

Falk Tosses Five-Inning No-Hitter

While the offense stole the spotlight early, Lauren Falk dominated in the circle.

Falk threw a complete-game no-hitter across five innings, allowing just one walk while striking out four. She faced only 17 batters and consistently kept Mercy off balance throughout the afternoon. The Highlands Ranch, Colorado native tossed the first no-no in her collegiate career and becomes just the 12th Spartans pitcher to complete the milestone feat.

Key Performers

St. Thomas Aquinas

• Elyse Marcano: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• Adriana Coira: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Olivia Leon: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R
• Sofia Marella: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
• Trinadey Santiago: 3-for-3, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
• Yazmine Garcia: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• Lauren Falk: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (No-Hitter)

Mercy

• Mackayla Secoda: 0.0 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB
• Marina Provencio: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Juliana Abbene: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Mya Marelli: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER

STAC's championship-round opponent D'Youville is a very familiar one, as the Saints upset the Spartans to capture the ECC Softball title one year ago. In 2026, the maroon and gold won three-of-our regular season matchups by a combined score of 31-23.