DePaul University Athletics
Braget, Dean Have Their Moments in DePaul's First Win
2/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
AUSTIN, TEXAS - For Katelyn Braget, this was a fulcrum moment with the game potentially hanging in the balance.
After losing twice on Friday at the Time Warner Texas Invitational, DePaul needed a reversal of fortune.
"Find a strike and just hit it," Braget thought to herself while pinch-hitting for Sean Plese with two runners aboard in the second inning. "I just wanted to advance the runners."
She did that in a big way, slamming a two-run double to the center-field fence in sparking No. 21/20 DePaul to a 4-1 victory over No. 19/22 North Carolina on Saturday for the Blue Demons' first win.
DePaul (1-2) will face Texas (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the semifinal round. The winner advances to Sunday's 12:30 p.m. title game against the winner of the LSU-North Carolina semifinal.
"It felt really good," Braget said. "This was like a pick-me-up from yesterday's games. Everybody was going up there to hit after that. It was awesome."
Nobody was whooping it up more in the dugout than winning pitcher Lindsey Dean, who leads the Blue Demons in earned-run average, innings pitched and positive mental attitude.
After firing four hitless innings in relief on Friday, Dean went the distance 24 hours later, scattering five hits with three strikeouts and no free passes for the Tar Heels.
"The biggest thing is Lindsey," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti. "She hasn't issued a walk in two games. She has a great changeup, and has developed a dropball that is keeping batters off balance.
"Today, it was the changeup, drop, fastball, and everything North Carolina hit was on the ground."
Braget couldn't agree more.
"Lindsey was really great," Braget said. "She was absolutely on-target hitting her spots. She is the one who keeps us really excited in the dugout. Lindsey is always in a good mood and very positive about everything."
Lenti made a positively brilliant lineup switch, moving the Blue Demons' top power hitter and run producer to leadoff.
All Becca Heteniak did was reach base four times with two hits and two walks and also score two runs. Sarah Shizas pinch-ran for her once and also scored.
"Becca did a great job and got everybody going." Lenti said. "Our leadoff position scored three of the four times she got on base."
Lenti did not want to see a repeat of Friday's listless performance, and said as much in his pre-game talk.
"We talked about swagger," Lenti said. "I told them to go out there and try to dominate. I told them to stay in the moment, whether we need a clutch hit, a key pitch or a big play in the field---just do whatever we need at that moment.
"Katelyn stayed in the moment with as big a hit as you're going to have coming off the bench in a key situation. Becca and Lindsey stayed in the moment. Plese hit a triple with the slap-and-run call.
"Everyone is going to have their chance to shine. Katelyn had that moment and made hay out of it."
All these moments added up to DePaul's first win of the season.
"This first win means everything," Braget said. "We know how strong we are. Play every game like this and have fun."
NOTES: Simone Ashkar also had her moment with a first-inning single to right field that drove in Heteniak for a 1-0 DePaul lead... Brittney Yniguez led off the second inning with a walk and came around to score along with pinch-runner Sarah Shizas on Braget's double... Heteniak singled in the seventh and scored on Plese's triple... Heteniak and Plese both went 2-for-2 while Alex Morocco was 1-for-1... North Carolina (1-2) scored in the bottom of the fourth on Brittany Robinson's RBI groundout... after three games, Heteniak leads the Blue Demons with a .714 batting average while Plese is hitting .500 and Morocco .333... Dean is 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA in 11 innings and opponents are batting just .135 against her.
