SPORTS
Sports. April 29, 2013. The DePaulia | 25
Sports Editor Julian Zeng Assistant Sports Editor David Webber depauliasports@gmail.com
BLUE DEMON REVIEW DePaul signs Thomas Hamilton, Jr. to national letter of intent By JULIAN ZENG Sports Editor
DENNIS GEORGES | The DePaulia
Kirsten Verdun pitched a three-hit shutout and tied a career high with 15 strikeouts against Loyola, April 25. The 4-0 win was Verdun's third consecutive shutout.
Verdun bowls over Ramblers in 4-0 shutout By MIKE CHAMERNIK Staff Writer
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 (2716) 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-for2 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.”
DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell announced April 22 that Thomas Hamilton, Jr. has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the men’s basketball program starting in the 2013-2014 season. Hamilton, a Chicago native, played three seasons at Whitney Young High School and finished his prep career at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Hamilton, a 6-foot-10-inch center,
is ranked at No. 21 by Scout.com as one of the nation’s top centers in 2013. ESPN.com ranks Hamilton at No. 27 among the nation’s top 30 at his position. Hamilton joins a recruiting class comprised of R.J. Curington, Billy Garrett Jr., Forrest Robinson and Greg Sequele. Hamilton and Garrett played on the AAU circuit together with the Mac Irvin Fire. Hamilton’s father, Thomas Hamilton, played 33 games over two seasons in the NBA for the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.
Photo Courtesy of NIKE
Thomas Hamilton, Jr. finished his prep career in 2012-2013 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.