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Blue Demons Battle Back to Defeat Rutgers in Game Two
CHICAGO The No. 22/25 DePaul softball team needed nine innings to complete the BIG EAST Conference sweep of Rutgers, Sunday at Cacciatore Stadium. The Blue Demons won game two ,4-3 and improve to 28-12 on the season and 7-3 in the conference. Rutgers slides to 16-23 and are 2-8 in league play. The marathon game was highlighted by clutch hits and home runs. Sandy Vojik and Annie Demas homered in the contest for DePaul, while Mallory Miller and Kaitlyn Valiente each doubled for the Scarlet Knights. Vojik's two-run home run put the Blue Demons on the board in the first inning. The senior's team-best seventh home run of the season sailed over the right field wall. Rutgers used three hits, to knot the game at two in the top of the second. Both Amanda Shaw and Amanda Heller were credited with RBI in the frame. The game stayed tied until Miller and Valiente knocked back-to-back doubles to give Rutgers its first advantage of the day in the fifth inning. Heading into the bottom of the fifth, Rutgers' starter Nicole Lindley (5-4) retired six of the next seven Blue Demon batters she faced and looked to have the win until Demas came to the plate in the seven. Demas smashed her first collegiate home run over the right field wall to give the Blue Demons new life. The Scarlet Knights had a runner in scoring position in the top of the ninth with one out, but DePaul reliever Lindsey Dean would retire Rutgers' final two batters. The Blue Demon rally began when Amber Patton took a walk with one out in the ninth and Marie Thompson followed and singled down the left field line. A patient Vojik then drew a five pitch walk to load the bases. With two outs, Marcy Wilus became the hero when she looped a single to center to plate the winning run. DePaul starter Lauren Frankiewicz threw six innings before being replaced by Dean in the seventh. Dean picked up her third BIG EAST win and improved to 6-2 on the season. Frankiewicz scattered six hits, walked four and struck out four. Dean, who did not allow a hit in three complete innings of work, struck out a pair and faced 10 batters. Lindley threw 8.1 innings before being replaced by Chrissy Yard in the ninth. Lindley allowed nine hits, while she struck out seven and walked five. Yard faced three batters in the ninth. With a 1-for-3 effort, Patton stretched her hitting streak to a season-long 11 games. Tara Voss, Thompson and Vojik each tallied a pair of hits in the win. The Blue Demons, who have won their last six games, break from conference action this week to play at Loyola-Chicago and Northern Illinois. DePaul travels to Rogers Park for a 4 p.m. game with the Ramblers on Tuesday. Wednesday the Blue Demons make the trek to DeKalb for a 4 p.m. contest. In both non conference games, DePaul head coach Eugene Lenti will coach against his former players and assistant coaches. Yvette Healy, who is in her fourth season at Loyola-Chicago was a two-time All-American for Coach Lenti from 1996-99. She was also his assistant for two season. Lindsay Chouinard, who is in her first season as the head coach at Northern Illinois spent four seasons as an assistant coach at DePaul. Chouinard was a three-time All-American when she played at DePaul from 2000-03.
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