DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Take Over First Place in BIG EAST Conference
5/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
CHICAGO - Tara Voss let her bat do the talking on Sunday while Becca Heteniak spoke straight from the heart.
Each was eloquent in her own way while leading DePaul to a 7-3 victory over Georgetown that vaulted the Blue Demons into first place in the BIG EAST Conference. DePaul is 16-3 and Notre Dame is second at 15-3.
Voss ignited a four-run second inning with a leadoff single to left field as the Blue Demons batted around. Brittney Yniguez had a clutch two-run single and Heteniak an RBI walk.
An inning later, Voss led off with a home run over the left-field fence. It was her eighth of the season and third in the last three games.
"You one-upped me again," Heteniak said with a laugh. Each had hit two home runs in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Georgetown while engaging in a fun-loving home-run duel.
Sean Plese had scored on a stolen base and an error in the first inning. Voss' blast provided DePaul (32-15) and winning pitcher Heteniak with a 6-0 cushion.
"It's great that we played so well, especially today on Senior Day," Voss said. "That home run was for all the seniors---especially Becca.
"The seniors have had so much impact on everything that goes on with our team. We've all had a great time together because they have been such outstanding leaders.
"I only hope the juniors next year will do as good a job as they did."
DePaul coach Eugene Lenti held a meeting with the four seniors in the team's hotel on April 14 when the Blue Demons split a two-game series at St. John's.
"There were no assistant coaches, no juniors, sophomores or freshmen," Lenti said. "I told them this team would go as far as the seniors would lead them.
"Our seniors are a unique group that leads with their heart. After going through a lot of adversity earlier in the year, they know how to put it in warrior-mode."
After that weekend in Queens, N.Y., the Blue Demons have gone 11-1---including a season-high, eight-game winning streak.
Shea Warren and Marie Thompson are having the best seasons of their careers. Thompson has come forward to fill a big void at catcher. Annie Demas is beginning to come on after battling an injury earlier in the year.
And the two-time, All-American Heteniak has been the heart-and-soul of the 2010 ballclub.
"It's awesome---really, truly amazing the tribute that was paid to us on Senior Day," said Heteniak, who was 1-for-2 with the RBI and pitched four innings of one-hit ball in improving her record to 16-9.
"All these gifts from our teammates---what a bunch of great people. I'm at a loss for words. It's really touching."
The four seniors received blankets, flowers, gift cards, personalized T-shirts, two framed photos and continuous applause from a Cacciatore Stadium crowd that was also celebrating Alumni Day.
Demas, Heteniak, Thompson and Shea Warren helped lead the Blue Demons to the Women's College World Series in 2007, three NCAA Championships appearances, two regular-season BIG EAST Conference titles--- including a perfect 20-0 BIG EAST Conference record---and DePaul's first-ever BIG EAST Tournament Championship title.
After Sunday's victory, the seniors have a four-year record of 169-60.
They will lead the Blue Demons into a tough week with six games in six days beginning with a non-conference game at Loyola on Tuesday.
That kicks off "rivalry week" as DePaul faces Northwestern on Wednesday and Illinois on Thursday---both at Cacciatore Stadium.
The regular-season concludes with a critical three-game series next weekend at Syracuse that could determine the BIG EAST regular-season title.
NOTES: After relief pitcher Bree Brown gave up a three-run homer to Shikara Lowe in the fifth, Marla Mathews slugged a solo home run in the bottom of the inning... Voss and Plese had two hits against Georgetown (17-31, 6-13) while Mathews, Katelyn Braget, Heteniak, Yniguez, Samantha Morgan and Lynsey Ciezki each had one... Alex Morocco leads the team in hitting at .362 and is also first in hits with 47 and doubles with nine... Plese is batting .353 with a team-high 10 stolen bases... Voss is hitting .331 and leads in home runs (eight) and runs scored (37) and is second in RBI (28) and hits (43)... Samantha Dodd and Yniguez are hitting .311, and Yniguez is tops in RBI with 29... Heteniak and Shea Warren are at .309, Marie Thompson at .308 and Lynsey Ciezki at .284... as a team, DePaul is batting .293 and has outscored its opponents 237-124... Heteniak is 16-9 with a 1.90 earned-run average while Brown is 14-5 with a 2.80 ERA... Lindsey Dean is 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA... the Blue Demons are hitting .369 in BIG EAST play with 10 players batting .333 or higher... Dodd leads the way at .483 followed by Morocco (.459), Ciezki (.425), Thompson (.419), Plese (.412), Yniguez (.396), Voss (.364), Heteniak (.361), Shea Warren and Braget at .333... Heteniak is 8-1 in conference play with a 1.83 ERA while Brown is 8-2 with a 2.28 ERA... Dean is 0-0 with a 2.17 ERA... in league games, DePaul is outhitting its opponents .369-.206 and outscoring them 140-47... Voss and Yniguez each have a seven-game hitting streak going while Heteniak has hit safely in her last three games.
