DePaul Softball Downs Minnesota, 5-3

April Valdez

April Valdez drove in three runs leading the 16th-ranked DePaul softball team (49-10) to a 5-3 victory over Minnesota (38-21). The loss eliminates Minnesota from the regional while the Blue Demons face #2 Arizona tomorrow at noon.

In order to advance to the College World Series, the Demons must beat Arizona at noon and 2:30 p.m.

After going 11 innings without scoring a run, the Blue Demons finally crossed the plate in the bottom of the first inning. Liz Bouck and Sarah Martz laced singles to left field opening the inning. With one out, Shavaughne Desecki grounded back to pitcher Piper Marten (23-13), who fired to third base, but Bouck beat the throw. Valdez followed with a bases clearing triple giving the Demons’ a 3-0 lead. Gina Ramacci brought Valdez home with a sacrifice fly and DePaul took a 4-0 lead.

DePaul added another run in the fourth after Ramacci opened the inning with a base hit. Laura Visin pinch ran for Ramacci and advanced to second on a Sarah Douglas ground out. After a strike out, Visin stole third and came home on Katy Kukman’s RBI single to right field making it 5-0 DePaul.

Minnesota added three runs in the bottom of the fifth when Jordanne Nygren crushed her eighth home run of the season to left center field making it a 5-3 game. That’s as close as the Gophers would get as Lindsay Chouinard retired the four of final five batters she faced closing out the Blue Demon victory.

Chouinard improves to 31-5 allowing three hits, striking out three batters and walking one. She allowed her first earned runs in 34 2/3 innings pitched in the regional and her last 49 2/3 innings pitched. In 18 innings pitched today, she allowed three earned runs.

Valdez was 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored while Ramacci went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Bouck, Martz and Desecki collected a hit apiece and each scored one run.