Chattanooga, Tenn. - St. Thomas Aquinas College's historic 2026 softball season came to a close on Saturday morning at the NCAA Division II World Series, with the maroon and gold suffering a 10-2 defeat at the hands of fifth-seeded West Texas A&M University inside of Frost Stadium at Warner Park.
STAC wraps up its remarkable campaign with a 38-14 overall record and an 18-2 ECC mark. Meanwhile, West Texas A&M continues on in the tournament and improves to 53-9.
West Texas A&M 10-2 (Five Innings)
St. Thomas Aquinas saw its season come to an end on Saturday as West Texas A&M erupted for nine runs in the second inning and defeated the Spartans, 10–2, in five innings.
West Texas A&M capitalized on early opportunities and defensive miscues to seize control of the game, while the Spartans were unable to recover from the large deficit.
West Texas A&M Strikes Early
The Buffaloes opened the scoring in the first inning when Abby Howell crossed the plate on a St. Thomas Aquinas fielding error, giving West Texas A&M a 1–0 lead.
The game turned decisively in the second.
Avery Cannon started the surge with a two-run double to center field before Bella Holland and Jordyn De Los Santos each delivered RBI hits to extend the advantage to 5–0.
Moments later, Howell broke the game open with a three-run homer to left field, pushing the lead to 8–0. West Texas A&M added two more runs later in the inning on an RBI single from Emily Liskai, completing a nine-run frame and stretching the margin to 10–0.
Marella Provides Late Spark
The Spartans broke through in the fourth inning behind their most dangerous hitter.
Olivia Leon reached base to begin the rally before Sofia Marella launched a two-run homer to left field, trimming the deficit to 10–2. The blast was Marella's lone hit of the afternoon and accounted for both St. Thomas Aquinas runs.
The Spartans collected five hits in the contest but were unable to generate additional offense against the West Texas A&M pitching staff over the final inning.
Popp Settles Things Down in Relief
Lauren Falk was charged with the loss after allowing 10 runs, eight earned, over two innings of work.
Emma Grace Popp entered in relief and provided stability for the Spartans, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out one. Popp helped keep West Texas A&M off the scoreboard over the final two frames.
West Texas A&M's Laci Peskey earned the victory, while Raegan Sucher closed out the final two innings.
Key Performers
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Sofia Marella: 1-for-1, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB
- Elyse Marcano: 2-for-3
- Olivia Leon: 1-for-2, R
- Alyssa Haberstroh: 1-for-2, 2B
- Lauren Falk: 2.0 IP, 7 H, 10 R, 8 ER
- Emma Grace Popp: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
West Texas A&M
- Abby Howell: 1-for-1, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
- Avery Cannon: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R
- Emily Liskai: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, R
- Bella Holland: 1-for-4, RBI, R
- Jordyn De Los Santos: 1-for-3, RBI, R, SB
- Laci Peskey: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB
- Raegan Sucher: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Season Ends at National Stage
Despite the loss, St. Thomas Aquinas concluded an outstanding season with a 38–14 record and a trip to the national stage. The Spartans finished the year behind a powerful offense and a strong pitching staff, capping the most successful campaign in program's 47-year history. The maroon and gold collected several pieces of championship hardware along the way, including both the East Coast Conference Regular Season and Tournament titles and the NCAA Division II East Region crown.
2026 NCAA Division II Softball Championship -- World Series (May 28-June 3)
at Frost Stadium at Warner Park - Chattanooga, Tennessee
Thursday, May 28
Game 1: No. 1 Saint Leo 4 vs. No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas 2
Game 2: No. 4 Cal State San Marcos 5 vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M 4
Game 3: No. 2 Missouri Southern State 5 vs. No. 7 Glenville State 3
Game 4: No. 3 North Georgia 0 vs. No. 6 McKendree 1
Friday, May 29
Game 5: No. 1 Saint Leo 5 vs. No. 4 Cal State San Marcos 3
Game 6: No. 2 Missouri Southern State 2 vs. No. 6 McKendree 3
Saturday, May 30
Game 7: No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas 2 vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M 10
Game 8: No. 7 Glenville State vs. No. 3 North Georgia - 1:30 p.m.
Game 9: No. 2 Missouri Southern State vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M - 4:00 p.m.
Game 10: No. 4 Cal State San Marcos vs. Winner of Game 8 - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 11: No. 1 Saint Leo vs. Winner of Game 9 - 11:00 a.m.
Game 12: No. 6 McKendree vs. Winner of Game 10 - 1:30 p.m.
Game 13 (If Necessary) - 4:00 p.m.
Game 14 (If Necessary) - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 1
Finals (Best of Three Series: Game One) - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 3
Finals (Best of Three Series: Game Two) - 3:00 p.m.
Finals (Best of Three Series: Game Three - If Necessary) - 5:30 p.m.
All Games Broadcast on NCAA.com.