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In DePaul’s April 25 game against Loyola-Chicago, Blue Demon starting pitcher Kirsten Verdun pitched her third game in 28 hours. Naturally, she should be worn-out. Right?
Far from it. Verdun struck out 15 batters, which tied a career high, en route to a 4-0 complete game shutout win for DePaul. The Demons (27-16) scored two runs in the first and cruised to a win over the Ramblers (23-16).
Verdun mowed down Loyola batters with a mix of fastballs, breaking balls and a few timely changeups. Of the three hits allowed, one was a bunt single, one was an infield hit on a slow roller, and the last was a blooper to left. The Ramblers hit only two balls to the outfield.
“When V’s got the changeup and the drop going,” said head coach Eugene Lenti, “she’s a very, very difficult pitcher to hit against.”
Home plate umpire Joe Thompson had a consistently wide strike zone on the afternoon, calling pitches low and away for strikes, and Verdun attacked it. The lefty struck out eight looking.
“Early in the game I found that spot, that he was calling low outside pitches,” said Verdun. “You try to pound that spot.”
Designated player Hannah Penna had a fine game as well, going 1-for-2 and knocking in two runs in the first. With Mary Connolly on second and Verdun on first, Penna sliced a liner down the right field line into the corner, scoring the two runners. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Loyola pitcher Brittany Gardner threw one low and away. She tried to do it again, but Penna made her pay.
“I was thinking that she was going to throw it in the same spot,” said Penna, “so I saw the ball and drove it the other way.”
The Demons tacked on two insurance runs later, scoring a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Samantha Dodd, another in the sixth on a RBI single by Verdun. DePaul worked Gardner for 10 hits and five walks, but left 10 runners on. Both Connolly and Penna left the bases loaded with two outs.
The only rough spot for DePaul came in the sixth inning when they were up 3-0. Loyola got a single and a walk to get runners on first and second with one out. Verdun faced the Ramblers’ top slugger Lauren Moore, who has hit 11 home runs in 2013.
Before the at-bat, though, assistant coach Nancy Evans went out to talk with Verdun and reminded her to slow down and keep calm. Verdun got Moore to pop out to catcher Staci Bonezek on a first-pitch curveball, and then she struck out Amanda Ciran to end the half inning.
“She had it going really well today,” said Lenti of Verdun. “So even when that little rally was going, I wasn’t concerned at all.”
Verdun earned her 19th win of the season, lowering her ERA to 1.97. The Demons are not afraid to ride their star hurler for all she can give them. This outing came after pitching both halves (152 total pitches) of a doubleheader the previous day in New York against St. John’s. But Verdun said she’s not wearing down.
“I wouldn’t say fatigue is an issue,” she said. Verdun said she does cardio to keep her legs strong, and the key for her is the mental aspect: “Staying in it and expecting to pitch every game until [Coach] says that I’m not.”