DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Seton Hall (Semifinals)
Blue Demons Bow Out of BIG EAST Championship
5/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
Box Score: Seton Hall 9, DePaul 5Â 
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The DePaul softball team saw its season come to a close with a 9-5 loss to Seton Hall in the first semifinal of the BIG EAST Championship on Friday afternoon.
The Blue Demons (22-24) dropped its first game to the Pirates (25-27) in the last 14 contests.
DePaul collected eight hits from five different players and were led by Kali Gardner, Morgan Maize and Nicole Pihl who each tallied a multi-hit performance.
Mary Connolly earned her 29th start of the season and threw six innings, scattering 10 hits and striking out three.
After a clean first frame, the Blue Demons got on the board following back-to-back sacrifice flies from Brittany Boesel and Ali Lenti. DePaul led at that point, 2-0.
Seton Hall responded by tying the game in the third with a pair of RBI singles from Yasmin Harrell and Danielle DeStaso.
The Blue Demons regained the lead in the home half of the third when Pihl laced an RBI triple in the right-center gap that scored Connolly. Gardner brought it Pihl on DePaul's third sacrifice fly of the afternoon to give the Blue Demons a 4-2 advantage.
DePaul added to that margin when Maize beat out an infield single that plated Haydn Christensen and made it a 5-2 ball game.
The bats came alive for the Pirates in the fifth as the designated road team notched four runs on three hits -- highlighted by a 3-run shot from DeStatso -- to take their first lead of the contest, 6-5.
Seton Hall added three more runs to its total in the sixth and held a 9-5 advantage with DePaul down to its final six outs.
The Blue Demons only managed to produce one hit in the last two innings -- a Pihl single -- and eventually fell to the Pirates, 9-5.
Notes: This was the 21st meeting between the programs all-time... DePaul holds an 18-3 lead in the series... the Blue Demons laced at least eight hits for the 20th time this season... DePaul falls to 13-8 all-time at the BIG EAST Championship and 3-7 in semifinal matchups... the Blue Demons dropped their first postseason game to Seton Hall all-time... Mary Connolly finishes her career second in program history with 44 homers, third in slugging percentage (.633), fourth in career RBI (164) and fifth in total bases (385) and walks drawn (97)... Connolly also set the single-season record with an .870 slugging percentage, tied for first with 16 homers and second with an on-base percentage of .548... Brittany Boesel played in her 200th career game... Ali Lenti picked up her 17th career RBI and earned her 140 appearance of her career... Staci Bonezek earned her 191st career start... Bonezek led the team with 105 assists.
