Softball Beats Missouri, Advances to Super Regional
5/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
DePaul 3 Missouri 0 - Box Score
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Jackie Tarulli-Fisher drilled a two-run home run and the DePaul pitching staff took care of the rest as the Blue Demons beat Missouri, 3-0, on Sunday to win the Carbondale Regional and advance to next week’s NCAA Super Regional.
DePaul improved to 44-11 and will play in the Super Regionals for the second time in three years. The Blue Demons will face top-ranked Oklahoma in a best of three series next weekend in Norman. The Sooners won the Amherst Regional this weekend. Game dates, times and broadcast outlets will be announced later this week.
The Blue Demons threatened to break the game open immediately by loading the bases in the first inning but the Tigers were able to escape. DePaul’s Amber Patton recorded a one-out single to right and first baseman Marcy Wilus was hit by a pitch before Tarulli-Fisher looped a single into right to load the bases for Kate Sheaks. Missouri pitcher Jen Bruck got Sheaks to strikeout swinging for the second out of the inning before Becca Heteniak brought the fans to their feet with a long drive, but her fly ball was caught at the warning track by the left fielder Micaela Minner to end the threat.
DePaul got all the runs it needed in the third when Tarulli-Fisher gave the Blue Demons a 2-0 lead with her fourth home run of the season. The long ball sailed 10 feet over the left field fence and scored Sandy Vojik who led off the inning with a single through the right side.
That was more than enough for Heteniak who fired six innings of shutout ball, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out three. Tracie Adix got all three batters she faced in the seventh inning to finish out the game and give the Blue Demons the regional title.
DePaul added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Jessica Evans recorded an RBI-single up the middle. Evans’ hit scored pinch runner Kate Hanson to give the Blue Demons the commanding 3-0 advantage. Hanson replaced Heteniak after she reached on an error.
Missouri had runners on second base in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings, but were unable to push a run across as it left four runners stranded in the game.
The victory gives the Blue Demons their second trip to the Super Regional since the NCAA went to this format three years ago. In its previous appearance, DePaul defeated Northwestern in the 2005 Chicago Super Regional to advance to the school's third Women's College World Series.