Leesburg, Fla. - Carissa Della Vecchia's no-hitter on Monday in an 8-0 win over Bloomfield College helped St. Thomas Aquinas College register its sixth win in eight games as part of the team's 12-game, eight-day road trip to Winter Haven, Florida. STAC's impressive performance in Florida has included wins over teams from Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

 

"We have a very young team so I'm very encouraged by the way we've played so far in Florida," said STAC Head Coach Kristen Sullivan. "Carissa was very sharp today and she's off to her best start in her three seasons here at STAC."

 

Della Vecchia's gem came on the same day that she was named the ECC's Pitcher of the Week for her 3-0 record last week. Pitching on the fourth straight day, the lefthander struck two and walked four to record her second no-hitter as a Spartan and the 17th in program history. She held the College of Staten Island hitless last season and also posted a no-hitter as a freshman for NYIT before transferring to STAC.

 

Pitching and timely hitting has fueled STAC's success so far in the young season. In addition to the win over Bloomfield, STAC has posted wins over the University of Minnesota Crookston (7-1), University of Pittsburgh at Johnston (5-0), Truman State University (6-5), Post University (4-1) and Bentley University (6-1).

 

Della Vecchia and sophomore Abbie Landrum were the best one-two pitching combination in the East Coast Conference last season and they are off to a strong start in 2023. Landrum pitched five effective innings in the season-opening 7-1 win over Minnesota Crookston and then delivered an outstanding two-hit performance in a 6-1 win over Bentley University earlier today.

 

The newest members of the team have had very exciting moments in Florida. The freshmen tandem of shortstop Adriana Coira and second baseman Elyse Marcano have provided solid defense while also contributing significantly on offense. Fellow freshman Eliana Raposo has been an important run producer and also played well in relief in the win against Minnesota Crookston, Della Vecchia, Landrum and Tara Hagan have also helped at the plate. Sophomore Amanda Demmerle has added timely hitting and eight stolen bases.

 

STAC continues its Florida trip tomorrow with games against Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1:30 p.m.) and American International College (3:45 p.m.).