DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Villanova
Dodd Has a Day as DePaul Sweeps Villanova
4/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
April 9, 2011
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Samantha Dodd had quite a day, and so did the entire Blue Demon offense on Saturday.
Resembling the hot-hitting White Sox, DePaul scored 17 runs and banged out 26 hits in a 10-3, 7-4 doubleheader sweep of Villanova.
Dodd was 5-for-7 in the BIG EAST Conference victories with four RBIs, four runs and three doubles.
The first game was all downhill after the Blue Demons scored two runs in the first and four in the second---all after two outs.
But in the nightcap, DePaul (22-11, 7-1 in the BIG EAST) trailed 3-2 in the top of the sixth when Dodd turned the game around.
With pinch-runners Sarah Shizas and Mackenzie Madigan on second and third, Dodd ripped a double over the leftfielder's head to score both teammates. After advancing to third on Lynsey Ciezki's groundout, Dodd scored the eventual winning run on Megan Coronado's infield single.
"I wanted to go up there and get it done," Dodd said about the sixth inning. "It felt great when I saw the ball go over the leftfielder's head.
"We had a lot of energy the whole day."
The Blue Demons added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh when Allie Braden singled, advanced to second on Alex Morocco's sacrifice bunt, went to third on Sean Plese's bunt single and scored on an error. Kirsten Verdun drove in Plese with a single up the middle.
DePaul had pounded out a season-high 16 hits in the first game.
"The offense carried the day," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti. "With 10 runs and 16 hits in the first game and seven more runs in the second game, we were hitting the ball pretty good.
"Both our pitchers (Verdun in the opener and Lindsey Dean in the nightcap) did a good job against a good-hitting Villanova team. Those three runs in the top of the sixth in game two really turned everything around for us.
"Yeah, Sam Dodd had a pretty good day."
In the nightcap, Dodd hit the first of her two doubles in the second inning, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Lynsey Ciezki's fielder's choice.
Ciezki walked in the fifth, moved up on Brittney Yniguez's sacrifice bunt and scored on Allie Braden's single to left field.
"It feels great the way all of my teammates were hitting today," Dodd said. "Hitting is contagious, and oujr whole team got caught up in it.
"I think it comes from being confident. We have spent a lot of practice time lately working on our hitting."
The focus on offense paid off with the 23 hits.
"Everyone was in sync," Dodd said. "We all went up there and were aggressive early in the count."
The Blue Demons will look to carry over their offensive fireworks in the series finale at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
NOTES: Dodd was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs in game two while Braden was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run... Plese, Verdun and Coronado each had one hit while Verdun, Coronado, Ciezki and Braden each had an RBI... for the doubleheader, Verdun was 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, two runs and three walks... Plese has a seven-game hitting streak going while Verdun, Dodd and Braden have each hit safely in their last four games... on the season, Plese leads DePaul with a .455 batting average and is followed by Morocco (.393), Dodd (.349), Verdun (.337), Braden and Dean (.273) and Braget (.270)... Morocco leads in hits with 42 and runs with 20... Verdun leads in home runs with eight, RBIs with 26 and walks with 27... DePaul is batting .269 as a team and has outscored its opponents 146-115... Verdun is 13-3 with a 1.97 earned-run average while Dean is 4-4 with a 2.55 ERA... Bree Brown is 5-4 with a 4.36 ERA.
