DePaul University Athletics
Heteniak Puts On a Show for Mom and Dad
5/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
CHICAGO - Becca Heteniak sure enjoys putting on a show for mom and dad.
With Dennis and Susan Heteniak watching proudly from the Cacciatore Stadium bleachers Wednesday, Heteniak led DePaul to a 4-2 victory over Northwestern.
It was the Blue Demons' fifth victory in a row and 13th in their last 14 games. Heteniak won her 10th in a row after limiting the high-powered Wildcat offense to two runs and two hits over five innings.
Bree Brown pitched two scoreless innings to record her first save of the season.
"It's nice having them here," Heteniak said as her parents made the trip from California for three games and Senior Day festivities over the weekend and will remain in town through Thursday.
"I like to play well for them. They'd like to come to every game, if they could."
They saw their daughter handcuff a potent Northwestern lineup with the only hits being Michelle Batts' wind-aided two-run homer run in the fourth inning and Kristin Scharkey's infield single in the fifth.
"Pitching won the game for us today," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti. "Other than the walk followed by the home run, Becca was really solid out there. And Bree did a great job in relief."
Heteniak (18-9) and Brown were backed up by a blue-collar, manufacturing offense that would make White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen jealous.
DePaul (34-15) parlayed a hit-batsman, a walk and Tara Voss' RBI single to right field for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Two innings later, Alex Morocco walked, was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on an illegal pitch. Heteniak came through with an RBI double. Pinch-runner Sarah Shizas moved to third on a Brittney Yniguez's groundout to the right side.
Up came the irrepressible Voss again, and this time the junior shortstop drove in Shizas with an infield single to the right side.
Heteniak, Yniguez and Voss worked their magic again in the fifth. Heteniak ripped her second double and moved to third on Yniguez's single to center field. Voss' ground ball to the right side scored Heteniak with an insurance run.
"On Tuesday (4-0 win at Loyola), I came up with runners in scoring position and popped up," said Voss, who now leads the Blue Demons in RBI with 31. "Coach Lenti told me that all we needed was a grounder to the right side.
"In all those situations today, I was visualizing hitting to the right side. I've been practicing on going that way with an outside pitch.
I didn't realize everything I hit went to the right. I guess it's working."
What worked for Heteniak was an astute pitch selection.
"I tried to stay ahead I the count and threw dropballs to the right-hand hitters and riseballs to the lefties," Heteniak said. "That's a home-run hitting team over there (52 homers in 44 games), and with the wind blowing out, I tried to keep it in the park."
So far, the Blue Demons are 2-0 in "Rivalry Week" with victories over Loyola and Northwestern.
Sweeping all three won't be easy as No. 17/17 Illinois visits Lincoln Park on Thursday in a 4 p.m. game
"It's a huge game," Heteniak said. "It's another team from this state and they are ranked ahead of us.
"Illinois has a lot of talent, and this is going to be like an NCAA tournament game."
NOTES: Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com wrote a feature story on Voss describing the highs and lows of her season and how she emerged from a mid-season hitting slump... in addition to her pitching, Heteniak was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, one RBI and two runs... Yniguez, Marie Thompson Shea Warren each had one hit... Yniguez has a nine-game hitting streak, and Heteniak has hit safely in her last five games... Voss leads the team with eight multiple-RBI games while Morocco is tops with 16 multi-hit games... Morocco is tops in batting average at .358 with a team-high 49 hits... right behind her is Sean Plese at .356 followed by Voss at .331... Voss leads in home runs with eight, RBI with 31 and runs with 35... Heteniak is hitting .325 with a team-high 10 doubles... Yniguez is batting .312 and is second in RBI with 30... Shea Warren is at .306 followed by Samantha Dodd at .304, Thompson at .298 and Lynsey Ciezki at .274... the Blue Demons are hitting .293 and outscoring teams 245-126... Heteniak is 18-9 with a 1.87 earned-run average and opponents are batting .185 against her. Brown is 14-5 with a 2.71 ERA and opponents' batting average of .217.
