DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Florida International
Blue Demons Celebrate Dodd's Day
2/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
Feb. 12, 2011
MIAMI - There is an intriguing pattern emerging early in this softball season.
Call it DePaul's heroine of the day.
It was Samantha Dodd's turn to take center-stage on Saturday after leading the Blue Demons to a 6-4 victory over Florida International at the FIU Combat Classic.
The sophomore outfielder laced a two-run home run and also singled and scored as DePaul improved to 3-0. She filled up the box score with three hits, two runs, two RBIs, one home run and one stolen base.
"It's like `Pick A Hero,' and it was Sam Dodd's moment today," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti, who moved Dodd up to fifth in the batting order. "We have some good weapons at the top, in the middle and at the bottom of our order.
"Moving Sam up was a gut instinct, and it really paid off. Sometimes you look like a genius, and sometimes you look like the court jester.
"She had a lot of good at-bats on Friday."
Her best at-bat Saturday was the two-run blast over the center-field fence in the third inning after Marla Mathews had walked.
"It was amazing," Dodd said. "The pitch came in waist-high---it was beautiful. I sprinted out of the batter's box and then saw how high it was.
"I was like, `oh my gosh, get out!'"
Dodd's heroics followed up big-time performances by Mathews and Verdun on Friday. Mathews had a home run and career-high five RBIs in a 6-5 victory over Memphis. Verdun pitched a one-hitter in her college debut and cracked a two-run homer in a 3-0 win over North Florida.
"When the chips are down, it only takes one person to get it going," Dodd said. "Hitting is contagious, and we feed off whoever is having a good game."
Dodd's single and stolen base in the second inning was followed by Allie Braden's base hit. Brittney Yniguez drove in Dodd with a groundout and Sean Plese's RBI single sent Braden home with her first collegiate run.
An inning later, Dodd touched them all.
FIU (1-3) came back with a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth on Rachel Slowik's two-run double and Erika Arcuri's run-scoring single.
The Blue Demons scored the eventual winning run in the sixth when Alex Morocco singled, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Verdun's single up the middle.
It was a freshman collaboration in the top of the seventh for a valuable insurance run. Braden led off with a single to right field---her third hit of the game. She advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a Megan Coronado base hit.
That was the first hit and RBI for Coronado in her young career.
"Allie Braden did a great job batting in the six-hole," Lenti said about his rookie second baseman who went 3-for-4 and scored twice. "And Megan Coronado came through with a big hit to drive her in.
"In the fifth inning with the bases loaded, Megan came within two feet of hitting a grand slam over the right-field fence."
The offense picked up the slack for starting pitcher Bree Brown, who gave up three runs and seven hits in her four innings of work. Verdun came on in relief and held an explosive FIU offense to one run over the final three innings.
FIU had runners on second and third with two out in the bottom of the seventh when Verdun struck out Jenn Gniadek.
"When our starting pitcher Bree Brown struggled, Verdun came on and did a nice job," Lenti said. "She was able to keep the game under control."
The showdown game of the Combat Classic takes place around 8 p.m. on Saturday when the undefeated Blue Demons take on Kentucky (2-0). The winner would have the inside track to the Classic title.
NOTES: Braden reached base four times and recorded the first multi-hit game of her college career... the second baseman also scored her first collegiate run... Coronado picked up the first hit and first RBI of her collegiate career... in Verdun's three innings of relief, she gave up three hits, one run and struck out three... Brown gave up three runs and seven hits in four innings... along with Dodd and Braden, DePaul's 10-hit attack featured singles from Morocco, Verdun, Coronado and Sean Plese... Braden is 4-for-6 so far while Dodd is 6-for-10 and Morocco is 3-for-9.
