April 15, 2015
Chicago, Ill. - Fighting Illini sophomore Jade Vecvanags was nearly flawless on Wednesday night, twirling a three-hit shutout with the help of solid defense from her teammates to cruise past DePaul, 6-0. The streaking Illini picked up their seventh straight win and 11th of the last 12 to improve to 19-21 on the year, while DePaul fell to 15-19.
"Today we had some outstanding pitching and defense. Jade was efficient and each one of our infielders made a key play. We scored the three early runs and continued to have quality at-bats, but didn't push any more across until the seventh with Perkins' home run. Winning in different ways is important at this time of the year."
Jade Vecvanags (13-8) turned in her best pitching performance of the year, allowing just three singles and three walks, rendering the Blue Demons hitless with runners on base to complete her first career shutout and record her seventh consecutive victory.
The sophomore produced at the plate as well, appearing in the batting lineup for the first time since March 31, driving in the final two runs of the game to give herself some seventh-inning insurance. Brittany Sanchez led all batters by going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Allie Bauch, Nicole Evans and Carly Thomas each collected two hits, including doubles by Bauch and Thomas. Jess Perkins crushed her 21st career home run in the seventh, marking the 12th straight game that an Illini has gone deep, tallying 28 bombs during that stretch.
Megan Leyva (4-7) went the distance for the Blue Demons, allowing four earned runs on 12 hits and a walk over the full seven. Ali Lenti was the sole Blue Demon to reach base twice, tallying a single and a walk.
The Illini jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Bauch led off the game with a double to the right-center gap. Alyssa Gunther reached on an error and stole second, and Evans singled down the third base line to drive in the first run of the game. An RBI groundout by Thomas sent Gunther across the plate, and Sanchez singled up the middle for a two-out RBI before the Blue Demons retired the side.
A single and a double by Evans and Thomas got the pair in scoring position with one out in the top of the third, but DePaul held them in their spots to keep the Orange and Blue from padding their lead.
The Blue Demons stranded two Illini in scoring position again in the top of the fifth, as Evans and Sanchez got on with two outs but neither was able to cross the plate.
The first two Blue Demons walked in the bottom of the sixth, marking the first time all game that DePaul had two runners on base, but great defense by the Illini infield including a diving catch by Gunther on a bunt kept DePaul from cracking the scoreboard.
Perkins gave the Illini some insurance in the top of the seventh, drilling a solo home run to left center to make it 4-0. Thomas and Sanchez kept the inning alive with back-to-back singles, and Vecvanags picked herself up with a two-RBI single to make it 6-0 before the Illini were finished at the plate.
The sophomore stepped back into the circle and tossed a perfect bottom of the seventh inning to seal up her first career shutout, 6-0.
Next Up: The Illini return home this weekend to host Wisconsin for a three-game Big Ten series. Fighting Illini Frenzy weekend kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17. World's Largest Softball Tailgate XII is set for Saturday, April 18, with gates opening at 10 a.m. and first pitch at 1 p.m. The Illini conclude the series at Noon on Sunday.
