DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Villanova
Blue Demons Complete Sweep, Rout Villanova
4/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
Box Score: DePaul 14, Villanova 1 (6 inn.) 
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The bats came alive for the DePaul softball team in its 14-1 thrashing of Villanova in six innings on Sunday. The Blue Demons (20-21, 11-3 BIG EAST) completed the three-game sweep behind 13 hits -- three of which left the yard.
Mary Connolly paced the offense with a 3-for-4 outing at the plate with four RBI. Morgan Maize and Naomi Tellez each tallied a two hit, two RBI performance while Brittany Boesel chimed in with a pair of base knocks.
Connolly toed the rubber for DePaul and scattered five hits across five innings of work.
The Blue Demons got started early as they took a 2-0 lead in the opening frame on RBI singles by Dylan Christensen and Kali Gardner.
DePaul kept the momentum going into the second inning as Connolly doubled to the left-center gap to score Boesel and move Ali Lenti to third. Lenti would later score on a fielder's choice to make it 4-0 in favor of the road team.
Villanova (22-27, 8-10) got its only run of the game in the home half of the third on a RBI single with two outs from designated player Dana Morris.
The Blue Demons responded and made it 6-1 in the top of the fourth when Maize blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence.
Neither team registered a hit in the fifth frame and the score line stayed the same heading into the sixth stanza.
Connolly opened up the scoring in the inning with a three-run shot -- her 14th of the season -- that scored Boesel and Naomi Tellez, who got on by back-to-back singles. After another run came across by virtue of an error, Micah Fitzgerald plated a pair on a single up the middle.
Later in the inning, Tellez came to the plate for a second time and made the most of her opportunity as she belted a two-run homer and capped the scoring at 14-1. In summation, DePaul scored eight runs on five hits and batted around the lineup in the sixth.
Maxine Rodriguez came on in relief of Connolly and used two strikeouts to slam the door shut on the Wildcats.
With the win, the Blue Demons have clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship, which will take place in Rosemont, May 8-9.
DePaul returns to the diamond for a non-conference duel at Northwestern on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Blue Demons cap the regular season versus Butler at Cacciatore Stadium, May 2-3.
Notes: This was the 18th meeting between the programs all-time... DePaul leads the overall series 17-1... the Blue Demons completed their second three-game sweep against league foes on the road this season... DePaul moves to 8-1 on the road in BIG EAST play... the Blue Demons moved to 7-0 this season when scoring 10-plus runs... DePaul out-hit its opponent for the 15th time this campaign... Mary Connolly's 14th blast of 2015 tied Karen Stewart (1998) for the third-most home runs in a single season in program history... Connolly needs just two more to tie Saskia Roberson (2003) for the record... Naomi Tellez picked up her fourth multi-hit game of the season... Nicole Pihl has reached safely in the last three games... Connolly notched her ninth win of the season against BIG EAST competition... Morgan Maize upped her batting average against league foes to .426.
