CHICAGO, ILL. -- DePaul used a potent offense and steady pitching to hand Butler a pair of setbacks on Saturday, May 2, and put a serious crimp in the Bulldogs' BIG EAST Tournament hopes.  The host Blue Demons won the opening game of the three-game series, 7-2, and then came back to take the second game, 8-4.

The two losses dropped Butler to 23-27 on the season and 8-12 in the BIG EAST.  With one game remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs are currently tied for fifth place in the conference standings.  The top four teams advance to the BIG EAST Softball Championship.

Butler's hopes hinge on a victory over the Blue Demons on Sunday (May 3), coupled with losses by Providence and Villanova.  Providence is hosting Creighton, while Villanova is playing at BIG EAST regular season champ St. John's.

DePaul (22-22, 13-3 BIG EAST) used two big innings to capture the opening game on Saturday.  The Blue Demons broke a 0-0 deadlock with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and then answered a two-run Butler rally, with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth frame.

Senior Mary Connolly, who went the distance in the circle for the Blue Demons, capped the fifth-inning rally with a two-run, home run, her 16th of the season.  Senior Brittany Boesel added a three-run, home run in the sixth inning.

Butler scored its two runs on back-to-back home runs by Alex Kotter and Brandyce Sallee.  It was the fifth home run of the year for Kotter and the sixth for Sallee.  Junior Kristin Gutierrez, who started in the circle for the Bulldogs, took the loss and fell to 12-13 on the year.

The Bulldogs got off to a strong start in the second game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on Kotter's second home run of the day.

But the Blue Demons came back with four runs in the bottom of the second inning and three more in the bottom of the third off of Butler starter Kristen Boros.  Connolly had a two-run triple to spark the second inning rally.  Boesel came up with RBIs in both the second and third frames.

Butler picked up a run in the fourth inning, when shortstop Riley Carter scored on a balk.  The Bulldogs' final run came in the seventh inning on Sallee's second home run of the day.

Maxine Rodriguez (3-2), who came on in relief of Connolly, picked up the win in the second game, while Boros (1-3) suffered the loss.

Kotter, bidding to become the first Butler player since 1981 to bat .400 for the season, was four for seven on the day with two home runs.  She enters the final regular season game with a .436 season batting average.

Butler and DePaul will close out the regular season with a single game at Cacciatore Stadium on Sunday, starting at 12 p.m. (CT).