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Blue Demons Welcome Illinois, Loyola-Chicago and UIC to Cacciatore Stadium
CHICAGO -- The No. 20/25 DePaul softball team welcomes Illinois, Loyola-Chicago and UIC for non-conference games this week at Cacciatore Stadium. The Blue Demons and Illini are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Tuesday at 3 p.m., while the Ramblers and Flames visit Lincoln Park for single games on Wednesday and Thursday at 4 p.m., respectively. The Blue Demons (32-14, 9-5 BIG EAST) enter the week having won eight of their last 10 games. During that period, Amber Patton has led DePaul with a .419 average. The junior third baseman has tallied 13 hits, eight runs and four RBI since April 12. DePaul All-American pitcher Becca Heteniak (17-6) has handled the majority of the pitching duties this season. The sophomore averages 7.6 strikeouts per seven innings and has registered 157 strikeouts in 145.0 innings. In the teams 11 total meetings with Illinois, DePaul has won six games and the teams have tied once. The Illini (27-24) are led by Angelena Mexicano, who is batting .365 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI. The Illinois pitching staff has a combined 3.89 ERA, while Claire DeVreese (19-16) has handled the majority of the innings. DeVreese enters the doubleheader with a 3.43 ERA and has 140 strikeouts this season. Wednesday and Thursday sees City of Chicago rivals, Loyola and UIC visit Lincoln Park. Separated by the Red and Blue El lines the Blue Demons have faced these two teams a combined 130 times and hold a 98-31 series advantage over both teams. The Blue Demons and Ramblers faced one another earlier this season on April 15 in Rogers Park. Heteniak picked up the 7-1 win --- the 56th all-time series win for DePaul. Loyola enters the game with a 15-17 record and is led Ellen Kresel, who is batting .388 with a team-best 31hits. Thursday’s game with UIC is the 70th meeting between the two teams, with DePaul leading the all-time series 43-26. Sarah Clynes leads the Flames (18-26) with a .378 batting average and has started 27 games in the circle. Clynes enters the contest with a 11-14 record and a 4.32 ERA. The Blue Demons return to BIG EAST Conference action this weekend when they welcome Connecticut and Providence for a pair doubleheaders.
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