The Blue Demons hit seven home runs to score 10 of their 11 total runs in the series, but were swept by Providence 3-0, on Senior day, Saturday, March 22.
The series started on Friday, March 21, with a double header due to Sunday’s weather. The Blue Demons started the first game — an 11-6 loss — with momentum behind their pitcher, Bella Nigey.
Nigey began the game with a strikeout and she soon struck out another batter to end the Friars’ first at-bat, keeping them off the board. Head coach Liz Bouck-Jagielski saw grit from her team in the five innings Nigey pitched.
“We were getting ahead in the count, we were making the plays, (and) we were getting the first out,’’ Bouck-Jagielski said.
Nigey faced 21 batters and only allowed four hits. Her fielders had 10 putouts with her at the mound, helping her shut out Providence. Nigey also had two putouts by making plays, causing groundouts.
“I think having Bella back on the mound, we were all pretty pumped for that,” senior Baylee Cosgrove said. “So a lot of that was great energy and fight behind her. She pitched great (and) she hit her spots.’’
DePaul’s offense also came up big during these innings, finding their key to success: home runs.
The Blue Demons scored four runs in the first five innings off of home runs from Lydia Ettema (1 RBI), senior Addison Talbot (1 RBI) and Kali Blount (2 RBI). They struggled to find other ways to get on base, with four of their eight total hits being home runs.
This kept them scoreless in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Meanwhile, Providence gained momentum once Nigey was taken out in the sixth inning and their first batter after the change hit a home run. The Blue Demons also gave up a triple and a single for two more runs in the inning.
Providence kept this momentum in the seventh, capitalizing on DePaul walking two batters and putting runners on base, scoring three more runs off of two doubles to lead 6-4.
However, the Blue Demons were able to get another home run from Ettema for two RBIs in the bottom of the seventh, tying the game at 6-6. The game went into extra innings.
Providence secured the win by scoring five runs in the tenth and preventing DePaul from scoring. The Blue Demons were held to one hit in the eighth and all three of their batters in the ninth got out. DePaul only had one hit in the tenth as well, ending the game.
In the second game of the double header, DePaul lost 7-3. Like the first game, the Blue Demons found success from home runs.
DePaul held Providence to one run in the first inning, while the Blue Demons got back-to-back home runs from Cosgrove and Morgan Rogers — DePaul led 2-1.
The Friars bounced back at the top of the second, scoring three runs to get the lead. In the third, DePaul again limited Providence’s offense, getting three straight outs.
Yet, the Blue Demons were unable to find success at the plate. They only had one hit total in the second and third innings. The next two innings, DePaul had six straight outs and Providence scored three more runs; this put the Blue Demons down by five.
Although DePaul prevented the Friars from scoring in the final two innings, DePaul only scored one run.
The final game of the series was played on Saturday, which was DePaul’s Senior Day; however, the Blue Demons fell to Providence, 11-2. Out of the Friar’s 11 total runs, only three were earned, and DePaul had four errors in the game.
The game started with the Friars scoring six runs off four hits in the first — five of those runs were unearned. Facing a six-run deficit after the top of the first, the Blue Demons could not respond on offense, getting out nine straight times in the first three innings.
Ettema then hit a two-run homer in the fourth, scoring all of DePaul’s runs. The home run was the seventh of the series for the Blue Demons.
“Truthfully, we’re not a big team, so I mean you don’t expect it from us, but sometimes we just barrel up balls and shout out Lydia, three of those were her this weekend,’’ Talbot said. “We’ve got a great staff that’s been working with us, and shout out to them.’’
Besides the home run by Ettema, DePaul only had two other hits for three total in the game. With a struggling offense and only keeping Providence off the board in the fifth inning, the game was called after the fifth due to the nine-run lead.
Bouck-Jagielski said that there were trends she noticed in all three games against Providence.
“We didn’t get the first out, we didn’t make the plays we needed to make, (and we) made hitters come up to bat more.’’
The five seniors, Cosgrove, Talbot, Carly Alvers, Katey Pierceand Kelly Beaupre, were celebrated after the game for Senior Day. Bouck-Jagielski stated they were bought into the program right away and “were 100% committed.’’
“(The celebration) meant a lot because I mean, for the past couple of years we’ve watched all of our seniors do it, and you never really think, that it’s ever gonna be your turn,’’ Talbot said. “It’s just (a) really joyful day.’’
The Blue Demons will host Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso University this week.
“We gotta win. I mean, that’s really the mindset right now, find a way this week to get better. We have two games this week that we really want to try to find ourselves again,’’ Cosgrove said.
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