DePaul Remains Unbeaten with Wins Over Detroit Mercy and Oakland

Saturday, February 7

Rosemont, Ill.

3 p.m.

DePaul University

3-0

Detroit Mercy

1-2

Detroit Mercy

DePaul

DePaul Remains Unbeaten with Wins Over Detroit Mercy and Oakland

2/7/2026 9:21:00 PM | SOFTBALL

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Detroit Mercy Box Score (PDF)Oakland Box Score (PDF)

Messer shines as DePaul moves to 4-0

ROSEMONT, Ill. – DePaul softball remained unbeaten in the 2026 season with a pair of wins on Saturday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex. The Blue Demons rallied for a 6-4 victory over Detroit Mercy before closing the day with a 14-1, five-inning win against Oakland.

Sophomore first baseman Chelsea Parker led DePaul at the plate, driving in six runs on the day to push her season total to 10 RBIs through the first four games. Parker went 3-for-6 with a pair of triples. Senior second baseman Lexi Houge drew five walks from the leadoff spot and scored five runs, raising her on-base percentage to a team-best .846.

Junior Lydia Ettema continued her strong start, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Freshman right fielder Addy Poe delivered the game-winning runs against Detroit Mercy with an inside-the-park home run. Emersyn Coulter and Ella Burleson recorded their first career hits, each driving in a run in the win over Oakland.

Sophomore right-hander Hannah Messer contributed on both sides of the ball, driving in four runs and hitting her first career home run against Oakland. In the circle, Messer shut the door on Detroit Mercy's comeback hopes with a scoreless inning of relief, striking out the final three batters and leaving the tying run stranded. Against Oakland, the Wylie, Texas native tossed 4.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three.

In the opener against Detroit Mercy, sophomore right-hander Gwen Baker earned her first victory as a Blue Demon, throwing 3.0 innings and allowing one run on two hits.

Game 1 – DePaul 6, Detroit Mercy 4

Detroit Mercy opened the scoring with three straight hits and a walk to plate two runs in the top of the first. DePaul answered immediately, as Houge drew a leadoff walk and scored on a Parker single up the middle before Ettema doubled to left to tie the game at 2-2 after one inning.

The Titans reclaimed the lead in the third with three hits to go ahead 3-2, but DePaul responded again in the bottom half. Parker collected her second RBI of the day, bringing home Houge following another leadoff walk.

Baker settled in after entering in relief, retiring six straight batters beginning in the fourth inning.

DePaul (4-0) took control in the fifth as Jolie Adams singled up the middle and Parker was hit by a pitch. Poe then cleared the bases with an inside-the-park home run to right-center, giving the Blue Demons a 6-3 advantage.

Detroit Mercy (1-3) scratched across a run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-4. After two Titans reached via walk in the seventh, Messer entered in relief and struck out the final three batters to secure the win.

Game 2 – DePaul 14, Oakland 1 (5 innings)

The Blue Demons jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. Back-to-back walks from Houge and Adams set the stage for Parker's triple to right-center. Ettema followed with a sacrifice to bring Parker home and make it 3-0.

DePaul added six more runs in the second inning. Coulter recorded her first collegiate hit, and Houge earned her fifth walk of the day. Parker stayed hot with another triple, driving in two more runs to extend the lead to 5-0. The Blue Demons capitalized on a defensive error and a wild pitch to score three additional runs before Burleson capped the inning with an RBI single for a 9-0 advantage.

The offense continued in the third as Houge opened the inning with a double and Ettema singled through the right side to bring in two. Messer followed with her first career home run, a three-run shot that pushed the lead to 14-0.

Oakland (2-1) scored its lone run in the fourth. DePaul put runners on in the bottom half but was unable to add to the lead.

Messer recorded two flyouts to begin the fifth before Kailey Selvage entered in relief to close out the game.

Up Next
The Blue Demons close out opening weekend Sunday, Feb. 7 with games against Western Illinois and Green Bay. First pitch against the Leathernecks is set for 11:30am with game two to follow directly after.

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