This is not what Eugene Lenti was thinking of after spending nearly the first month and a half on the road.The DePaul University softball head coach was clearly frustrated after his Blue Demons dropped both games of a doubleheader to the Louisville Cardinals by 2-1 and 13-2 scores respectively. The 13 runs in the second game were the most runs given up by DePaul this season.

One of the few positives that seems to have come out of the day is that the games did not count towards the conference standings because the nonconference schedule still needed to be filled out.

The insult on top of injury was the fact that the Blue Demons were making their home debut in their newly renovated Cacciatore Stadium. The impressive facilities managed to get out a small but decent crowd to brave the mid-week chill, but the cold also extended to the team’s on-field performance.

“You’d rather be on the road,” Lenti said when asked how it felt to be making the historical home debut. “There was no comfort in being at home because they didn’t come ready to play.”

The effort was not limited to the plate, where the Blue Demons only managed three runs on eight hits for both games. The defense was uncharacteristically wild, committing eight errors in the two games when they had only made 12 in the first 25 games combined.

Another one of the few positives that came from the day was freshman pitcher Kirsten Verdun, who went the distance in game one giving up two runs (none earned) while striking out five and not walking a batter. Lenti, while acknowledging Verdun as one of the bright spots of the day, still pointed out that if they’re only going to score one run, they need to not give up any, while also acknowledging the defensive mistakes.

The pitching in the second game struggled a bit, with Bree Brown, Lindsey Dean and Hannah Penna combining to give up the 13 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and six walks while notching four strikeouts. The fourth and fifth innings were not kind either, as an eight-run fourth blew the game wide open and seven illegal pitches were committed in the fifth.

“It’s just bad everything,” a frustrated Lenti admitted, while also saying that he thought the team had turned the corner after a pretty good weekend at Providence. “Bad karma, bad skills, bad mental attitude, bad approach. They have to find a way to work out of it.

After the games were over Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said a few words to the team. It also featured a stern warning from Coach Lenti.

“I’ve thrown a gauntlet down, I told the seniors they have Saturday,” Lenti commented. “Either they start playing better or we’re going to start looking to the future. So let’s see how they respond to that.”

The Blue Demons jump back into Big East play this weekend with a three-game series against the below .500 St. John’s Red Storm.