Following a strong home series going 2-1 against Pitt in the Strikeout Cancer Weekend, the 18-21-1 Irish took on 12-21 DePaul in a non-conference midweek matchup. The Irish got out to a hot start in the first inning and never looked back, winning 8-0. Senior pitcher Shannon Becker improved to 5-2 overall and pitched a shutout with the help of sophomore Kami Kamzik in the final two innings.
Becker started on the bump for the Irish hoping to improve on her ERA of 3.81 and earn her fifth win of the season. Senior infielder Baylee Cosgrove led the DePaul Blue Demons off with a single to right field, but was gunned down stealing second by senior catcher Rachel Allen. Senior infielder Carly Alvers and sophomore utility Lydia Ettema both popped out to sophomore shortstop Addison Amaral to finish the top of the first.
Senior outfielder Emily Tran led off the Irish batting order with a walk. Caroline O’Brien was subsequently walked setting up two runners for Amaral’s first at bat. Amaral ferociously smashed a three-run home run over the left field fence. Leading the team in slugging percentage with .634, Amaral hit her seventh home run of the season and added two more RBIs. The Irish were unable to do any more damage from the plate in the first, but the moonshot brought the lead to 3-0 at the end of the frame.
DePaul fought back as graduate infielder Kelly Beaupre walked to lead off the second inning. Becker followed the walk with her first of three strikeouts for the Irish coming at timely moments in the contest. Sophomore outfielder Kali Blount hit a single after a fielder’s choice for the Irish which got the lead runner Beaupre out for the Blue Demons. With two runners on and two outs, the Irish forced a pop up to prevent any scoreboard changes from the opposition. On the other side, it was a quick three-up, three-down turn for the Irish.
Becker held the Blue Demons scoreless through her four innings while allowing only three total hits. The team certainly needs continued help from Becker, now 5-2, to compete down the stretch against highly-ranked ACC opponents.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Irish rediscovered their hitting stroke. Allen began the inning with a single through the infield. Sophomore Olivia Levitt followed up with a one-out single. Senior outfielder Jane Kronenberger walked, loading the bases for sophomore outfielder Christina Willemssen. She singled to right field scoring Avery Houlihan, who pinch ran for Allen. Tran was walked next as well, which scored Levitt. O’Brien then hit a 2 RBI single scoring Willemssen and Kronenberger. The next two Irish batters both got out, but the damage was already done. These four hits ballooned the lead up to 7-0 at the end of the fourth inning.
Kami Kamzik filled in from the mound in the last two innings with a chance to hold the Blue Demons scoreless. She struck out one batter in the fifth and two in the sixth to preserve the Irish shutout. Only giving up one hit, Kamzik helped improve her ERA to 4.36 for the season.
The Irish added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning with the help of a Kronenberger double. The Blue Demons walked two Irish batters in the sixth which brought their total to six in the game. Amaral then earned her 35th RBI of the season on a fielders choice to make the score 8-0. Throughout the game, the Irish scored in every inning a batter was walked.
This weekend, softball will head to Blacksburg, Virginia to face the No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies. This series is the first of consecutive away series for the team with travel across the East Coast to Duke starting April 18. The first pitch will be thrown at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 11, against Virginia Tech and viewers can tune in on ACCNX. The Irish will play the next home game on April 22 against Central Michigan.
