CHICAGO, Ill. - The Providence College softball team swept its doubleheader against DePaul University (12-15, 1-7 BIG EAST) on Friday, March 21, at Cacciatore Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. The Friars earned an 11-6 victory in 10 innings in the opener, followed by a 7-3 win in game two. With the pair of road wins, Providence College improved to 9-16 overall and 5-3 in BIG EAST play.
Sophomore Emma Eichten (Alamo, Calif.) spearheaded the Friar lineup with four RBI on the day, including a bases-clearing double that sealed the 11-6 win in the 10th inning for Providence.
Game One Highlights
In the first game, Lydia Ettema gave DePaul a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Addison Talbot's solo home run in the bottom of the second inning extended the Blue Demons' lead to 2-0. DePaul added two more runs in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run from Kali Blount, making it 4-0.
However, Cameron Dunn (Bothell, Wash.) got the Friars on the board with a solo home run in the top of the sixth, reducing the deficit to 4-1. Providence continued to rally, as Gabriella Sabastian (Ramsey, N.J.) hit an RBI triple, followed by Rachael Petrarca's (Tampa, Fla.) RBI single that brought the score to 4-3.
Down to their final strike, Hanna Aldrich (Taunton, Mass.) lined a two-run double into the left field gap, scoring Dunn and Gabriella Lee (Belmont, Calif.). Sofia Peterson (Bordentown, N.J.) followed with an RBI double to give Providence a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh.
Ettema tied the game with her second home run in the bottom of the seventh, making it 6-6. It sent the game into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th inning, Eichten re-gained the lead for the Friars with a bases-clearing double, bringing in three runs for a 9-6 lead. Aldrich added an RBI single, and Peterson was hit by a pitch to bring in another run, making it an 11-6 victory for Providence. Jessica Walter (Middletown, Del.) pitched 3.1 innings of relief, giving up just two hits and striking out three Blue Demons.
Game Two Highlights
In the second match, Eichten opened the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the first, putting the Friars ahead 1-0. The Blue Demons, however, responded quickly, registering two home runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead.
Peterson tied the score at two with a solo home run in the second inning. Dunn followed up with a two-run RBI single to regain the lead for the Friars at 4-2. Providence scored three more unanswered runs to bring the score to 7-2 in the top of the fifth, with RBIs from Lee, Sabastian, and Petrarca.
The Blue Demons managed to record a run in the sixth with an RBI double, finishing the game at 7-3. Tori Grifone (Sussex, N.J.) earned her fourth win of the season, recording four strikeouts while holding DePaul to only six hits and three earned runs.
Next Up
The Friars will round out the three-game series against DePaul tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, at Cacciatore Stadium. The game is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed on FloSports.
