April 22, 2010
Game 1: Box Score | Box Score 
Game 2: Box Score | Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. – DePaul showed little mercy on No. 23 Notre Dame Thursday at Cacciatore Stadium during a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader that pitted the league’s top two teams against each other. Notre Dame took DePaul to extra innings in the opener before falling, 7-6. DePaul cruised to a 15-2 five-inning victory in game two.
DePaul improved to 26-12 overall and 10-3 in the BIG EAST standings with the sweep.
Notre Dame (35-9, 12-3) now looks ahead to a three-game home series with Villanova (April 24-25).
-Game 1-
DePaul put its first batter on base in each of the first six innings and used 14 hits to post seven runs. Six of those runs came in the decisive third inning. Both teams left 14 runners on base.
Notre Dame scored two runs in the first inning despite not recording a hit and left three runners on base.
The Irish loaded the bases again in the second but came away without a run.
Trailing 2-0, DePaul posted four hits in the third including Brittney Yniguez’s two-RBI double to right and Shea Warren’s grand slam, taking a 6-2 lead.
Katie Fleury, who doubled twice and scored a pair of runs, got it done defensively in the fifth. She tracked a blooper to shallow left, covering a ton of ground to make the first out. Fleury then doubled off Marie Thompson at first after making a diving snag to rob Warren in the hole.
DePaul left the bases loaded in the sixth and Notre Dame turned the tides with a three-run seventh. All three runs were scored with two outs. Sadie Pitzenberger’s second double scored Amy Buntin and a Heather Johnson double plated Pitzenberger and Fleury.
Notre Dame stranded a pair of Blue Demons in the bottom of the seventh but were retired in order in the eighth.
DePaul had three hits in the eighth and Warren singled up the middle to end the game.
Alex Morocco had two hits and Sean Plese added three more for DePaul. Yniguez had two hits and two RBI with Warren leading all players with five RBI.
Jody Valdivia (27-4) suffered her first BIG EAST defeat after coming out on top of her last 20 decisions. She gave up 14 hits and seven earned runs in 7.2 innings with six strikeouts.
DePaul’s starting pitcher was Lindsey Dean, who fanned one in 4.0 frames of five-hit ball with seven walks. She split time with Bree Brown (11-4), the final pitcher for the home team who gave up four hits and three earned runs.
Pitzenberger paced the Irish with three hits in five at-bats.
-Game 2-
DePaul had two big innings, scoring nine in the second and six in the fourth, while totaling 16 hits in the nightcap.
Alexa Maldonado scored an unearned run in the third on Fleury’s third double of the day.
Brianna Jorgensborg bombed the first pitch of the fifth to centerfield for Notre Dame’s second run.
After going 2.0 innings and giving up seven hits, Brittany O’Donnell (7-3) suffered the loss. Becca Heteniak (13-9) threw a complete-game, five-inning four-hitter with four strikeouts. She also hit a home run to aid her cause.
Samantha Dodd had four hits and Lynsey Ciezki posted four RBI.
–ND–