DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Ready for North Side Showdown
4/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
April 2, 2012
CHICAGO - After beating the No. 11 team in the country twice, the Blue Demons look to maintain their momentum Tuesday against North Side rival Loyola.
DePaul (18-11) wants to bring the same focus to Loyola Softball Park for its 4 p.m. game that it displayed over the weekend at Cacciatore Stadium when the Blue Demons won two-of-three BIG EAST Conference games against Louisville (29-2).
"There shouldn't be any problems keeping it going on Tuesday," said DePaul coach Eugene Lenti, who brings his fiery attitude to every game. "This is the fun part now. Players would much rather compete in a game than go to practice.
"This is also about continuing to build a resume for a berth in the NCAA tournament. We want to win as many games as possible as win percentage is the No. 1 factor in your RPI."
Lenti will remind his players that this nonconference matchup is a rivalry game to secure bragging rights for the off-season. Both teams have local players who have been competing against each other since youth softball.
"Our players will be ready tomorrow," Lenti said. "This is a rivalry game, and you want to win these kinds of games against Loyola, Illinois, Northwestern, Illinois State and Northern Illinois. People on these teams are the ones you see all summer."
Loyola (9-14) relies on Annie Korth (.308 batting average) and Jessica Balzano (.301) to spark an offense that has been outscored 100-88 this season. Lauren Arceneaux tops the Ramblers with five home runs and 13 stolen bases as Loyola has swiped 36 bases this spring. Lauren Moore (.294) and Lauren Zaworksi each have 13 RBIs.
In the pitching circle, Brittany Gardner is 5-4 with a 5.74 ERA and Amanda Ciran is 1-10 with a 3.28 ERA. Loyola's pitching staff has a 4.00 team ERA.
"Our players are starting to understand what we've been trying to teach them," Lenti said. "Kirsten Verdun really executed the game plan on Sunday. Pitch to contact, get ahead in the count, eliminate the walks and home runs and give us a chance to defend.
"She did a good job of keeping her pitches low in the strike zone. When you're ahead in the count, it makes the batter have to swing at your pitch. That's when you can start pitching outside the strike zone.
"Over the weekend, we did a good job of taking advantage of our offensive opportunities. Sure, we could have scored more runs. But we wound up outscoring the No. 11 team in the country 13-5 in the three-game series."
After Tuesday's game, the Blue Demons return to BIG EAST action with a three-game series beginning Friday at Georgetown (14-20, 0-3).
"These are BIG EAST games, and we're trying to win the BIG EAST regular-season title," Lenti said. "You want to dominate with your pitching and offense. So long as we play our game, we should be fine."
USF has shot out to a 6-0 start in the conference behind five-time, BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week Sara Nevins. Notre Dame is 3-0 while Louisville and Providence are 4-2. DePaul and Syracuse are both off to 2-1 starts and Rutgers is 5-3.
"There appears to be a lot more parity in the BIG EAST than in the past," Lenti said. "Teams have started out the conference season playing well at home, which makes it that much tougher to win on the road.
"But we are one of the most road-tested teams in the league, and we've gone against really good teams on the road. We have faced the best hitters and pitchers in the country. Based on that, we should do well against BIG EAST competition."
