In the final series of the regular season, the DePaul softball team defeated Providence 2-1 in the series that was secured with a 10th inning win in game three. With this victory, the Blue Demons finish the regular season with an overall record of 28-22 and a record of 16-8 in conference play.

The Blue Demons took game one of the series in a 5-1 win over the Friars on Friday. Graduate student Sarah Lehman was the pitcher for the Blue Demons and pitched all seven innings, striking out six batters and only letting up two hits.

Providence got on the board first with a bases-loaded walk, but that was the only run they scored before the Blue Demons shut them down and had their own offensive burst.

Freshman designated player Baylee Cosgrove kicked off the hitting with a single in the second inning. She followed that up with a single in the fourth inning before freshman third baseman Carly Alvers singled and scored two more runs.

“If you get the opportunity to get at bats, to play defense, all we’re asking you to do is continue to play the way that you play and just have fun with it,” head coach Tracie Adix-Zins said about the freshmen after their game on April 27. “I’ve been really proud of how they’ve been playing lately.”

Junior right fielder Tori Meyer capped off the game with a double to right field to secure the victory in game one.

Game two took place right after game one in a double header on Friday, and this time, it was Providence who took the win as the Blue Demons fell 8-4. With the loss, the Blue Demons secured the No. 4 seed for the Big East championship this week.

It was DePaul who landed on the board first in game two, but the Friars responded with three runs of their own.

The Blue Demons had back-to-back home runs from sophomore center fielder Nicole Sullivan and Cosgrove in the fifth inning to tie the game, but Providence countered with back-to-back home runs of their own.

After that, the offense was all Providence with three straight singles to run away with the game and win by a four-run lead.

Everything came down to a series-deciding game three on Sunday that required ten innings before the Blue Demons were victorious 5-4. Lehman was on the mound again and stayed in for all ten innings while striking out seven batters.

“[Lehman] threw a great game and has really been a rock for us this whole year,” Meyer said. “Every time she steps in the circle, you can tell she is going to strike you out.”

The scoring opened with a single by graduate student outfielder Kate Polucha that brought home graduate student second baseman Skylor Hilger. Meyer followed with a triple to give the Blue Demons an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.

The Friars countered with a two-run home run in the second inning and then another two-run home run in the fourth to take the lead. However, Meyer had a double to center field to score freshman catcher Anna Wohlers to tie the game again.

After that, the innings flew by as both teams went scoreless until the tenth inning rolled around. In the tenth, it was Wohlers who was the hero for the Blue Demons with a single home run to right field.

Providence did not go down without a fight in the bottom of the inning. They had players on first and second base when a hit soared into outfield. However, DePaul was able to get the runner out at third base to secure the win.

“We came into this weekend with no pressure at all because we already got our seed in the tournament,” Meyer said. “Providence was a good team to play because their pitching helped prepare our hitters going into the Big East Tournament.”

With the regular season complete, the Blue Demons will turn their attention to the Big East championship in Rosemont, Illinois, next Thursday. DePaul is set to face No. 1 seed UConn in the first round on Thursday.

“I think we are prepared and are playing our best softball right now,” Lehman said. “We can compete with these teams and need to go into the week confident.”