The College of Staten Island softball team returns to the diamond with the first of three-straight home doubleheaders to end their 2021 campaign.  Today's matchup is against St. Thomas Aquinas College, who defeated CSI earlier this season in a pair played at Sparkhill.  With playoff positioning on the line for the Spartans, the Dolphins will be looking to put a dent in STAC's postseason plans.

COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND VS. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE
Matchup: College of Staten Island (4-14, 4-14 ECC) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas College (21-9, 15-7 ECC)
Where:  CSI Softball Complex - Staten Island, NY
Live Video: http://www.csidolphins.com/CSISportsNet
Live Stats: https://csidolphins.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Spectator Policy:  No Spectator Access
All-Time Series:  STAC leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: April 22, 2021 - STAC won both 13-0 & 10-4
Players to Watch (CSI):  After missing the last four games, Emily Koerick should be returning in the circle for CSI.  She leads the Dolphins this season with a 3-5 record and a 2.66 ERA through seven starts, having pitched 55.1 innings, fanning 65.  At the plate, hot-hitting Samantha MacPherson will look to stay that way.  She is batting .351 so far this season with a team-best 20 hits, eight doubles, and 12 runs scored.  Isabel Gallo and Claudia Porcaro are pacing CSI in RBI with eight each so far, while Gorret Komuhendo is leading CSI with a team-best 10 walks this season.
Players to Watch (STAC):  The Spartans have four women batting over .300 so far, led by Amanda Schweitzer who is batting a heavy .393, tied for the team lead with 33 hits.  Amanda Castro is next in line at .372, boasting 17 RBI.  Packing the power is Carissa Della Vecchia, who is at .337, but leading the team with 20 extra base hits, including eight doubles, three triples, and nine home runs, good for 21 RBI.  Melissa Sadler, batting .327, is the team's RBI leader at 22, adding a team-best 31 runs scored.  Paige Toothaker and Della Vecchia are the one-two punch in the circle.  Toothaker is 9-5 with a 2.03 ERA while Della Vecchia is at 11-4 and a 2.12 ERA, having fanned 128 batters in 95.2 innings.
News & Notes: CSI is looking to overturn a six-game losing streak today, but the last time they took the field in Staten Island, they came away with a walk-off win over their CUNY-counterparts, Queens College.  STAC, meanwhile, is also looking to overturn a losing streak of three games, having fallen to Bridgeport before a doubleheader loss to Molloy.  The ECC Playoff field is set, but seeding is still yet to be determined, making this matchup a big one.  STAC currently sits in third place, one behind in the loss column to both Bridgeport and Mercy.  Two wins by STAC could win them the conference, but two losses could drop them into fourth place.  CSI will have a chance to play spoiler again tomorrow against Bridgeport and then again on Wednesday against Molloy before finalizing their season.  These two teams met for the first time in their respective histories on April 22, with the Spartans taking both meetings, one in a shortened five innings.