DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Creighton
DePaul Softball Falls in Extra Innings to Creighton
4/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
Box Score: Creighton 5, DePaul 3 (8 inn.) 
CHICAGO -- Following a tightly-contested battle in the first game of a doubleheader, the second game followed suit between DePaul and Creighton at Cacciatore Stadium on Saturday. The Bluejays took the result in extra innings, 5-3.
DePaul (16-21, 7-3 BIG EAST) dropped its second game of the day to a BIG EAST opponent for the first time since April 27, 2013 when it fell to Notre Dame.
The Blue Demons were paced at the plate by Morgan Maize who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI. Kali Gardner added the only other hit and picked up a RBI in the process.
Mary Connolly got the nod in the circle for the second time on the day and went 7.2 innings, surrendering five runs and striking out six in the senior's 20th start of the season.
DePaul got on the board first when Maize worked her way around the bases behind a single, error and a stolen base. The junior was later brought in by a groundout from Micah Fitzgerald to put the Blue Demons ahead, 1-0.
After two scoreless innings, Creighton (20-13, 5-7) pulled a run back in the fourth on a two-out RBI single from Jen Daro and tied the game at 1-1.
The Bluejays broke the deadlock in the top of the sixth with a double down the right field line plated two on a two-strike pitch with two outs.
Creighton's lead was cut in half in the bottom of the frame when Gardner blasted a pinch-hit solo homer to make it a 3-2 game.
Connolly sent the Bluejays down in order in the seventh to set up a dramatic finish. After the first two hitters got out, Maize delivered with a home run over the center field fence and tied the game once again, 3-3.
The joy for DePaul was short-lived as Creighton used three hits in the top of the eighth to plate two more and take a 5-3 lead.
The Blue Demons were unable to muster a comeback and dropped on their third conference game of the season.
DePaul concludes its series with Creighton tomorrow at Cacciatore Stadium at 11 a.m.
Notes: This was the 15th meeting between the programs all-time... despite losing the last two decisions, DePaul has won seven of the last nine meetings and holds a slight edge in the series at 8-7... Morgan Maize continued her hitting streak to 15 games... Maize's blast pushed the team's total 49 home runs which ties the single-season program record... Maize notched her 11th multi-hit game of the season... Kali Gardner hit her fourth home run of the season... Gardner had three in her first two seasons combined before the 2015 campaign... Gena Lenti made her 80th career start.
