DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
St. John's
It's a Saturday Sweep for the Blue Demons
4/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
April 2, 2011
CHICAGO - What Cacciatore Stadium fans saw on Saturday was more like DePaul softball.
The Blue Demons came out and swept a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader from St. John's, winning the opener 12-2 in five innings and the second game 7-2.
These first victories at the new stadium were quite a turnaround from losing a doubleheader to Louisville last Wednesday.
"It's an historic day, and the kids did a good job," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti. "There was pitching, defense and timely hitting---and we put up a lot of crooked numbers all day long.
"We didn't have the proper approach against Louisville. We had a much better approach at the plate today. With the talent we have, there are times when the offense has to carry the day."
The outburst of 19 runs and 17 hits in the doubleheader reminded Lenti of the White Sox bombardment of Cleveland on Opening Day.
"It was because of the energy we had," said Kirsten Verdun, the winning pitcher in both games. "We got the ball rolling early and kept hammering.
"Like Eug (Lenti) always says, score in the first inning and score often. We did that a lot today."
In the opener, DePaul had an 11-0 lead after three innings with Katelyn Braget smashing a two-run home run over the right-field fence. Lenti & Co. scored four runs in the first inning, two in the second and five in the third. Verdun had three RBIs in the game while Alex Morocco, Lynsey Ciezki and Braget each had two.
Game two saw the Blue Demons put up a four-spot in the first inning and never look back.
Lenti's resourceful players manufactured the four runs with one hit, three walks, a sacrifice fly and a fielder's choice. DePaul (19-10, 4-1 in the BIG EAST) added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth thanks to Megan Coronado's RBI double and Morocco's run-scoring single.
"Our players realize they don't have a large margin of error this year," Lenti said. "Today was a better example of what we have to do.
"Kirsten has been huge for us all year long. She's been a bulldog out there. I think she has a little Greg Maddux in her."
Sean Plese was 4-for-6 in the doubleheader and scored four runs while Morocco was 3-for-5 with three runs. Verdun, Braget and Ciezki each had three RBIs and Lindsey Dean was 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs. Coronado was 2-for-2 as a pinch-hitter.
Verdun gets credited with the first two wins for a DePaul pitcher at the new Cacciatore Stadium.
"It feels great---what an honor," Verdun said. "I hope we can keep it going and get a lot more wins here."
The Blue Demons go for the series sweep on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
NOTES: Verdun pitched a total of eight innings on Saturday, giving up one run and eight hits with eight strikeouts and one walk... Dean pitched two innings of relief and didn't give up an earned run while Bree Brown gave up one earned run in two innings of relief... the Blue Demons committed two errors in the doubleheader while St. John's committed five... on the season, Morocco leads DePaul with a .415 batting average and is also tops in hits with 39 and runs with 18... Plese is hitting .412 and Verdun .297... Samantha Dodd is batting .293 with 27 hits and Ciezki is hitting .250... Verdun leads the team in home runs with six, RBIs with 20 and walks with 23... Blue Demon opponents have committed 42 errors to DePaul's 22... in the circle, Verdun is 11-3 with a 1.83 earned-run average... Brown is 5-3 with a 4.25 ERA while Dean is 3-4 with a 2.53 ERA.
