DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Providence
Verdun Resonates Rally Cry in Rhode Island
3/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
March 27, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - First there was a sigh of relief.
Then came the big blast.
Kirsten Verdun's fouled-off attempt at a suicide squeeze turned into a three-run home run that lifted a re-dedicated DePaul softball team to a 6-3 BIG EAST Conference victory over Providence on Sunday.
"Coach (Eugene Lenti) gave me the swing-away sign after not getting down a squeeze on the pitch before," Verdun said. "That showed he has confidence in me."
The game was tied 1-1 in the top of the fifth when Verdun's sixth homer of the season brought home Alex Morocco (walk) and Samantha Dodd (fielder's choice).
"After that tough loss yesterday (4-1 to Providence), there was some pressure on us to bounce back," Verdun said. "It gave us a lift.
"When I came around to home plate, my teammates were pounding me so hard that my helmet started to fall off. They were really happy for me."
They were in an entirely different mood Saturday night during a players' meeting at their hotel.
Realizing the Blue Demons had been underachievers in losing six of their last seven games, DePaul's seniors called for a heart-to-heart gathering.
"The seniors felt like our team wasn't playing up to our potential," Verdun said. "They said this has to stop now before it turns into a snowball effect.
"They told us that Sunday was the start of a new season. We would show up to every game with more energy and hold ourselves accountable.
"We still made some mistakes today, but we made adjustments. We wanted to be completely different. The seniors did a good job of bringing us together."
A loss would have surely diluted the impact of that rally cry in Rhode Island.
Providence (11-17, 1-2 in the BIG EAST) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third after a precarious start by senior Lindsey Dean.
The Friars loaded the bases in the first inning with two out and didn't score.
They had bases loaded with no outs in the second and came up empty thanks to a heads-up play by senior shortstop Brittney Yniguez to nail a runner at home that was followed by a double play.
After Providence broke through in the third, DePaul (17-8, 2-1) tied it in a wild fourth inning.
Lynsey Ciezki led off with a single and Sarah Shizas followed with a base hit. Both advanced on a Providence error. Yniguez snapped a 0-for-17 slump with an RBI single to make it 1-1. Allie Braden then ripped a shot right at Friars' first baseman Jessie Bryant with the runners on the move that resulted in a triple play.
An inning later, Verdun hit her second home run in the three-game series. It was enough of a cushion to overcome solo home runs by Providence's Megan Culver (off Dean) in the fifth and Jen Abrams (off Verdun in relief) in the sixth.
Morocco led off the seventh with a single and scored on Dodd's one-out double. Ciezki, who appears to be emerging from a slump, slashed a two-out single to score Dodd.
Bree Brown channeled her inner Mariano Rivera and struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
"This was much better," Lenti said. "All three pitchers made contributions and we scored in multiple innings. Bree did a great job of closing it out.
"I told them before the game that they needed to come out with more energy. I didn't know about their meeting the night before.
"We talked about seeing how Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt really ripped into her team about heart and desire during halftime of their Sweet 16 win over Ohio State.
"They were laughing and probably thinking: `Hey, Eug isn't the only jerk out there!'"
A new focus and a little laughter proved to be the best medicine for these Blue Demons, who take on Louisville Wednesday in their home opener at Cacciatore Stadium with a double-header beginning at 11 a.m.
NOTES: After the game, Lenti & Co. had lunch and cheered on the Blue Demon women's basketball in its NCAA Sweet 16 showdown with Duke... Ciezki's two hits on Sunday broke a 0-for-16 slump and bode well for Wednesday's home opener... Yniguez snapped out of a 0-for-17 rut with her RBI single and Allie Braden's second-inning base hit ended a 0-for-13 stretch... the balanced Blue Demons had eight players contribute nine hits... Morocco had one hit and two runs, Megan Coronado one hit and a stolen base, Dodd one hit, two runs and an RBI... Verdun had the three-run homer along with two walks while Ciezki had the two hits a run and an RBI... Sarah Shizas, Yniguez and Braden each had one hit... for the three-game series, Morocco had a home run and a single, three runs and one RBI... Dodd had two hits, two runs and an RBI... Verdun was 3-for-8 with two home runs, four RBIs, three runs scored and two walks... on the season, Morocco leads the team with a .393 batting average and is also first in hits with 33 and runs with 15... Sean Plese is hitting .360, Dodd .329 with 27 hits... Verdun is batting .292 and leads the Blue Demons in home runs with six, RBIs with 17 and walks with 19... in the circle, Verdun is 9-2 with a 2.07 earned-run average... Dean is 3-4 with a 2.33 ERA while Brown is 5-2 with a 3.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 52.2 innings.
