Watson Makes History In Split At Maryland

Wednesday, April 2

College Park, MD

3 pm

Syracuse University

13-15, 6-4

Maryland

2-25, 1-6

Syracuse

Maryland

4/2/2014 9:22:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Senior Jasmine Watson hit two homers, setting the SU career home run mark in the process

Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box | Blog Replay

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Behind a historic day from senior Jasmine Watson at the plate, the Syracuse softball team split a doubleheader at Maryland on Wednesday, April 2 at the Maryland Softball Stadium.

Watson finished 3-for-7 with two home runs, one of them a grand slam, and eight runs batted in. The grand slam was the 39th homer of her career, moving Watson into sole possession of first place in the SU record books for career home runs. Watson's slam in the first game allowed Syracuse (13-16, 6-5 ACC) to pull away late for a 9-4 win, while she kept the Orange in game two with another homer and four more RBIs. However, SU came up short in the end, falling 7-6 to the Terrapins (3-25, 2-6 ACC).

"I'm so happy for Jaz (Jasmine Watson). She never made it a big deal about herself," said head coach Leigh Ross. "It's a big accomplishment for her. She's a very humble kid and she's doing a great job leading us right now."

In the opener, freshman Nicole Lundstrom and junior Julie Wambold each posted multi-hit games and senior Jasmine Watson smashed a grand slam to lead the Orange. Lundstrom was 2-for-2 with two runs batted in, three scored and reached base all four times. Wambold finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Junior Mary Dombrowski also reached based three times and scored twice.

Freshman Sydney O'Hara (10-5) tossed her seventh complete game of the season, striking out five for her seventh straight win.

Neither team could get anything going throughout the first three innings as O'Hara retired the first nine batters of the game she faced. Her counterpart, Brenna Nation, also didn't allow a hit in the first three innings, walking two and hitting one.

A half inning later, Syracuse struck first. Lundstrom drew a leadoff walk to start the fourth and scored on Wambold's double to the left center gap to give the Orange a 1-0 lead.

Maryland also broke through in the home half, scoring three times to go ahead 3-1. The first five batters all reached base safely with Lindsey Schmeiser plating Amanda McCann on a single to tie the score 1-1. After a walk loaded the bases, Candice Beards came through with a single up the middle to score two more runs. O'Hara, however, settled down and retired the next three batters to get out of the jam.

Syracuse answered back in the fifth with three runs of its own to regain the lead at 4-3 on RBI hits by Lundstrom and Wambold. With one out and runners on second and third, Lundstrom's single to left dropped in, making it a 3-2 contest. A two-out walk to Watson loaded the bases and Wambold provided the go-ahead hit on a two-run single that landed just in front of the outstretched leftfielder.

The Orange added five insurance runs in the sixth – four of them coming off the bat of Watson's two-out grand slam. Lundstrom drove in the first run of the inning with a two-out single to the opposite field two batters before.

In the second game, four errors did Syracuse in, including two in a sixth-run, second inning for the Terrapins. But Watson's big day continued as she hit a three-run shot and had an RBI single to bring SU within one in the final inning. Relief pitcher Madison Martin retired the next three batters though to pick up her first win of the season.

"The second game it all came down to the one inning," said Ross. "It was very frustrating. We made a couple of changes defensively and we just threw the ball around a little too much. That was just us beating us."

Watson went 2-for-4 with the homer and four RBIs. It was the fourth straight game that she has homered, which is just one off the school record. Daniels also had two hits and freshman Alyssa Dewes smacked a two-run double. Lundstrom who went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, reached base in seven straight at bats on the day.

O'Hara allowed six runs – three earned – in two innings of work, taking the loss for just the first time in her last eight decisions. Sophomore Lindsey Larkin came on strong in relief, tossing four innings while giving up just one run on three hits.

"We asked Syd (Sydney O'Hara) to throw as much as she could and she did a great job. Lindsey came in and threw well too."

The two teams combined for eight runs in the second inning, with Syracuse jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Maryland answered with six runs for a 6-2 advantage through two.

SU continued the hot-hitting early in nightcap. Back-to-back hits by O'Hara - a double - and sophomore Danielle Chitkowski put two on for Dewes, who lined a double of the left field wall to drive in both runners.

In the bottom half, the Terrapins tied the game on McCann's two out single to center, with the second run coming across on an errant throw. Maryland proceeded to load the bases and scored four more runs on Schmeiser's single that never left the infield. After the first run scored on the play, two more touched home when Lundstrom's throw hit off the runner and kicked off to the backstop. Recognizing that no one was still covering home, Schmeiser took off and beat the tag at the plate.

Watson responded in the third with her second homer of the day – this one a three-run shot to pull the Orange within 6-5. Daniels started things with a double to right and Lundstrom followed with a walk. Two batters later, Watson crushed a pitch to straight away center.

SU didn't end things there, loading the bases on a Wambold double, O'Hara walk and an error with only one out still. But Nation retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.

Maryland added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-5 on Erin Pronobis' RBI single, plating Martin, who got on base with a one-out single.

The Orange still wouldn't go away though, leaving the tying run on first and the go-ahead run at the plate in the final inning. Sophomore Corinne Ozanne doubled to begin the seventh, extending her reached bases streak to 16 consecutive games. Watson followed that up with a hard single to left, driving in pinch runner, freshman Kristina Kinsey. But Syracuse couldn't muster anything after that as Martin got the next three batters out to end the game.

SU will make its home debut against RV/RV NC State on Saturday, April 5 at 1 p.m. for the first of three games. The second game will be played on Saturday with the finale taking place on Sunday, April 6.