Blue Demons Close Out Regular Season with UIC Series

Friday, May 7

Chicago, Ill.

2:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

UIC

Blue Demons Close Out Regular Season with UIC Series

5/6/2021 3:39:00 PM | SOFTBALL

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DePaul meets UIC for first time since 2018

CHICAGO – DePaul softball will wrap up its 2021 regular season slate this weekend with a three-game series against local foe UIC at Cacciatore Stadium. The Blue Demons and Flames will get started with a 2:30 p.m. matchup on Friday, May 7 before meeting for a doubleheader on Saturday, May 8 with first pitch set for Noon.

DePaul has designated Friday's contest as its StrikeOut Cancer game in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer and all of those who have battled and continue to fight the disease. Supporters can visit komen.org/donate to contribute to the cause or wear pink in honor of breast cancer fighters and survivors in their life.

The Blue Demons will honor their five seniors prior to Saturday's first game. Graduate students Jessica Cothern, Krista Dalgarn and Angela Scalzitti alongside senior Pearl Barroso will be recognized. Four-year manager Jack O'Brien will also be celebrated.

DePaul (22-9, 13-1 BIG EAST) has won six games in a row and most recently secured a series sweep over Butler May 1-2, outscoring the Bulldogs 10-2 in 21 innings of play. In Sunday's series finale, the Blue Demons out-hit Butler 11-3 and came away with a 3-1 victory. Maranda Gutierrez, Tori Meyer and Cothern all tallied RBI singles to take care of the scoring. In the circle, Natalie Halvorson picked up the win in five innings of work, before Krista Dalgarn pitched two scoreless innings to earn the save. After a win, a save and nine scoreless innings of work Dalgarn earned BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week while sophomore Brooke Johnson earned Player of the Week after three multi-hit games, a .545 average and .545 on-base percentage on the weekend.

The Blue Demons boast balanced efforts behind the plate with four different batters with 29 or more hits. Cothern's .353 average and 30 hits lead the way while Johnson paces the squad in RBI with 23 to go along with a second-best five home runs. Kate Polucha has done a little bit of everything with 29 hits, a team-high seven homers, 21 RBI and 21 runs. Angela Scalzitti leads the way on the base paths with nine stolen bases and 22 runs. Dalgarn and Halvorson have been the one-two punch in the circle for the Blue Demons. The pair of veteran pitchers have totaled a combined 20-5 record and both hold a 3.02 ERA.

UIC (26-18, 23-11 Horizon) enters the non-conference series after picking up a 3-1 series win over IUPUI in its Horizon League finale. The Flames currently sit in second in conference standings. Graduate student Kayla Wedl paces UIC with a team-high .432 average, 48 RBIs, 64 hits and 13 home runs. Wedl ranks sixth in the nation in total bases with 132. Sophomore Samantha Ferguson provides another threat at the plate with 42 hits and 26 RBI. In the circle, senior Marley Hanlon leads the way with a 9-4 record and a 1.55 ERA. Lynn Curlyo is in her fifth season at the helm at UIC.

DePaul leads the all-time series with UIC, 54-33. The two squads last met on April 20, 2018 when the Blue Demons claimed a 3-1 victory at Cacciatore Stadium. Cothern launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to secure the victory for DePaul. It was Cothern's seventh homer of the season.

The Blue Demons will travel to Storrs, Conn. for the BIG EAST Tournament, May 13-15. DePaul has secured the #1 seed and has won three consecutive conference tournament titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019.