DePaul University
29-23
No. 3 Villanova
31-22
Pitcher’s Duel Goes the Way of Villanova on Semifinal Friday
5/13/2022 3:05:00 PM | SOFTBALL
Blue Demons take on top-seeded UConn in elimination game on Friday afternoon
ROSEMONT, Ill. — On a day that saw DePaul and Villanova combine for just three hits on the afternoon, the Blue Demons dropped a 1-0 eight-inning decision to the third-seeded Wildcats in Friday's semifinal round of the 2022 BIG EAST Championship in Rosemont, Ill.
Graduate pitcher Sarah Lehman threw the complete game allowing just a pair of hits and striking out seven batters while Villanova's ace Paige Rauch totaled nine punch outs and surrendered just one hit in a pitcher's duel. Brooke Johnson was responsible for the lone hit of the outing for the Blue Demons on a one-out double.
DePaul (29-23) saw just two runners reach through the first four innings as Kate Polucha was hit by a pitch in the second before Johnson tallied the first hit of the day on a double sent to shallow left field. Lehman retired 11-consecutive batters from the bottom of the second to the top of the sixth to hold the Wildcats at bay.
The top of the seventh inning saw Polucha reach for the second time on a dropped fly ball in shallow right field but she would fail to advance as DePaul could not capitalize on a runner in scoring position for just the second time on the outing.
A leadoff base hit in the bottom of the eighth for the Wildcats was the first hit for either side since the fourth inning before the Wildcats put a runner on first and second after error from the Blue Demons. A walk to Paige Rauch loaded the bases and Chloe Smith reached on a second DePaul fielding error to bring the runner home from third and take the game.
The Blue Demons were shutout for the first time since March 6 in a 4-0 setback at Oklahoma State.
DePaul will face top-seeded UConn in an elimination game on Friday at 2 p.m. CT on FS2. The Blue Demons knocked off the Huskies in Thursday's game one of the double-elimination tournament by a score of 6-2.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Paige Rauch (16-6)
L: Lehman, Sarah (15-6)
Batting:
2B: Johnson, Brooke 1
Base Running:
HBP: Polucha, Kate 1
Batting:
2B: Ally Jones 1
RBI: Chloe Smith 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dani Dabroski 1
HBP: Angela Giampolo 1
