DePaul Wins Season-Opener Over Valparaiso in Five Innings

Thursday, February 10

Rosemont, Ill.

3:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

1-0

Valparaiso

0-1

Valparaiso

DePaul

DePaul Wins Season-Opener Over Valparaiso in Five Innings

2/10/2022 7:39:00 PM | SOFTBALL

Box Score Box Score (PDF

Blue Demons open 2022 campaign with 8-0 win over Valparaiso

ROSEMONT, Ill. – DePaul softball opened the 2022 campaign with an 8-0 victory over Valparaiso in five innings on Thursday afternoon. The Blue Demons came away with the win in the first game of the 2022 DePaul Dome tournament, an 11-team event hosted at The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

Shortstop Maranda Gutierrez totaled three hits in three at bats while driving home a pair of runs. Brooke Johnson tallied two RBI and two hits including the two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to hand DePaul (1-0) the win.

Graduate transfer Sarah Lehman pitched her first game as a Blue Demon in the win, allowing just three hits and striking out four batters.

The Blue Demons started the scoring in the second inning when Nicole Sullivan reached base on a leadoff double followed by a Riley Pool walk. Skylor Hilger advanced the runners on a grounder to third. Gutierrez singled at the next at bat to score Sullivan before Pool crossed the plate on a Valparaiso throwing error.

DePaul added four more runs in the third to push the lead to 6-0. Nicole Sullivan drew a bases loaded walk to score Johnson who shot a double up the middle to lead off the inning. Tori Meyer knocked a base hit to left field to score Anna Wohlers before Gutierrez flied out to right to score Sullivan.

The fifth inning saw Pool leadoff and record her first career hit with a single to center. Hilger reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a Gutierrez single to left. Johnson had the final say with a single down the left field line to score the runners and put the Blue Demons in the win column.

DePaul now holds a 45-1-1 all-time record against Valparaiso.

The Blue Demons will return to action at the Rosemont Dome on Friday, Feb. 11. The Blue Demons are set to square off against Western Michigan at 7:30 p.m.