DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Villanova
Bashing Blue Demons Continue Offensive Onslaught
4/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
April 10, 2011
VILLANOVA, Pa. - As Hawk Harrelson would say: "Mercy!"
DePaul put up a huge crooked number on the scoreboard Sunday on its way to a 12-2, five-inning victory over Villanova.
That enabled the Blue Demons to sweep the three-game, BIG EAST Conference series---scoring a total of 29 runs on their visit to the Keystone State.
Actually, Kirsten Verdun was in danger of making the first and last out in the fifth inning when DePaul (23-11, 8-1 in the BIG EAST) scored eight runs.
"Yes, I'll admit that thought did cross my mind briefly," Verdun said with a laugh. "I did make the first out of the inning."
Instead, with Sean Plese, Allie Braden and Brittney Yniguez on base, Verdun fouled off three good offerings from Molly Manning on a two-and-two count.
That's when Manning figured she could fool the DePaul slugger with a changeup.
"I got all of it," Verdun said about the blast over the fence in right-center that put the exclamation point on an explosive weekend. "I went up there trying to get a base hit and keep the inning going."
Instead of the making the last out, Verdun rounded the bases with her team-leading ninth home run of the season accompanied by her team-high 30 RBIs.
"We had seven different players get an RBI, and that's the kind of production you want from your entire batting order," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti. "The kids are taking a better approach at the plate and going after better pitches.
"In practice, we've been focusing on hitting technique and also hitting in situations. They are facing live pitching with base runners and fielders. That has been very effective for us."
The red-hot Samantha Dodd was 3-for-3 with a solo home run while Braden was 2-for-3 with three runs. Plese went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Alex Morocco had one hit and two RBIs.
Trailing 2-0 after two innings, the Blue Demons scored once in the third, three times in the fourth and posted the eight runs in the fifth. Verdun (14-3) was the pitching beneficiary of the ongoing offensive onslaught.
DePaul has scored 60 runs in its last seven games, and pounded out 74 hits.
"Hitting is a lot about confidence," Verdun said. "The more people keep getting hits in a row, your confidence grows.
"If the player before you gets a hit, it makes you think that you can get a hit, too. In the fifth inning, Villanova's pitcher had troubled with the strike zone (three walks, one hit-by-pitcher). We had good at-bats and timely hits."
Can Blue Demon fans anticipate more of the same in the remaining 18 games of the regular season?
Lenti figures, why not?
"The pitching we faced this weekend is the same kind of pitching we have faced since we got back from California (March 17-19 Judi Garman Classic).
"We're not going to face any shutdown pitchers the rest of the way, so we're hoping to play this way the rest of the season."
Verdun echoes her coach's sentiments.
"When we were struggling offensively, everyone was taking too many strikes," Verdun said. "Now, we're being more aggressive early with the right pitches and taking good cuts.
"There's no reason we can't keep this up if we continue working hard and making adjustments at the plate."
Next up for the bashing Blue Demons is a 4 p.m. game Tuesday against Illinois State at Cacciatore Stadium.
NOTES: Since a 13-2, five-inning loss to Louisville on March 30, DePaul is 6-1 with 60 runs and 74 hits... the Blue Demons have won twice with the five-inning rule in that span... DePaul has raised its team batting average to .274---an increase of 33 percentage points since batting .241 after the loss to Louisville... in the last seven games, the Blue Demons are batting .398 and have outscored teams 60-19... Plese is hitting .632 over the last seven games with 12 hits and 10 runs... Dodd is at .591 with 13 hits, two home runs, eight RBIs and nine runs... Megan Coronado is hitting .571 in this stretch and Braden .556 with 10 hits... Verdun is batting .500 in the last seven games with three home runs, 13 RBIs and 10 hits... Lindsey Dean is hitting .412 and Morocco .333 with seven RBIs... Dodd is being nominated for both BIG EAST Player of the Week and USA Softball Player of the Week after hitting .714 (10-for-14) in four games with one home run, three doubles, seven RBIs and six runs scored along with a slugging percentage of 1.143 and an on-base percentage of .714... Dodd hit .800 over the weekend at Villanova, but that wasn't enough for the team lead... Braden batted .875 (7-for-8) and scored five runs while Dodd had five RBIs and six runs... Verdun hit .500 with two homers and seven RBIs... Plese hit .444 with four RBIs and three runs... DePaul hit .418 as a team in the three games at Villanova and outscored the Wildcats 29-9... on the season, Plese leads the Blue Demons hitting .468 and is followed by Morocco at .391... third on the team is Dodd (.367) followed by Verdun (.337), Braden (.294) and Katelyn Braget (.262)... Morocco leads in hits with 43 and Dodd has 40... Morocco and Verdun have each scored 20 runs and Dodd 19... Verdun leads in home runs with nine, RBIs with 30 and walks with 28... DePaul has outscored teams 158-117... in the pitching circle, Verdun is 14-3 with a 2,02 earned-run average while Dean is 4-4 with a 2.55 ERA... Brown is 5-4 with a 4.29 ERA... in BIG EAST games, Coronado is hitting .556 and Braden .500... Dodd is at .481 with two homers, seven RBIs and team highs in hits (13) and runs (11)... Verdun is batting .458 in league play and leads the team with five home runs and 16 RBIs... Plese is batting .450 in the BIG EAST and Morocco .360... in conference, DePaul is hitting .333 and has outscored BIG EAST opponents 65-20... in RBIs, the Blue Demons have a 60-19 advantage.
