Orangewomen Host St. John's in Key BIG EAST Doubleheader
4/12/2003 6:13:04 PM | Softball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orangewomen softball team will try and rebound from two losses on Friday when it hosts St. John's at 12 p.m. on Sunday, April 13. Syracuse is 9-17 overall and 3-5 in the conference, while the Red Storm is 18-20 overall and 5-5 in the league.
ORANGEWOMEN LOSE TWO LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse made its 2003 home debut on Friday, April 11, losing both ends of a doubleheader to Seton Hall, 3-1 and 5-1. Senior pitcher Tara DiMaggio took the loss for the Orangewomen in the opener despite allowing only three hits and striking out seven. All three runs she allowed were unearned. She also pitched two and two-thirds innings of relief in the second game, allowing one run and striking out one. Junior second baseman Rachel Park led the offense with four hits in eight at-bats. Freshman Christina Miro had two hits and drove in her first career run with a double. Sophomore Tanya Rose also had two hits, while senior Kristen Collins had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Syracuse left a combined 18 runners on base, including 12 in scoring position.
PARK LEADING THE SYRACUSE BATS
Junior second baseman Rachel Park has been the Orangewomen’s most consistent hitter this season, ranking either first or second on the team in batting all season. Currently, Park is hitting a team-best .391. She leads the team with 34 hits and is tied for the team lead with five doubles. Park also has two home runs. She has been SU’s number two hitter in every game this season. Park was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on February 24 for her efforts at the season-opening UNLV Tournament.
FRESHMAN TAKES OVER AT FIRST BASE
Freshman first baseman Jennifer Orpitelli has needed little time to adjust to Division I softball. Orpitelli is the Orangewomen’s second-leading hitter with a .384 average. She leads the team in on-base percentage (.458) and slugging percentage (.616). Orpitelli has also been solid in the field, making only two errors in 179 chances (.989). She became the third player in Syracuse history to record four hits in a game, going 4-for-4 with two singles, a double and a home run in the first game at Providence on April 6.
SWITENKO PUTTING UP POWER NUMBERS
Freshman shortstop Alexis Switenko has provided plenty of production at the plate for the Orangewomen this season. She has hit a team-leading seven home runs and paces Syracuse with 18 runs batted in. Switenko has two multi-home runs games this season, the first Orangewoman ever to hit two home runs in two different games. SU is 4-1 when Switenko homers. She has started all 26 games at shortstop and the fourth spot in the batting order. The rookie has already put her name in the SU record book, including …
• First SU freshman to win the BIG EAST Player of the Week Award (April 7)
• ECAC Division I Player of the Week (April 8)
• Tied single-game record with two home runs versus Virginia Tech and Providence
• Set the school record for home runs in a doubleheader with three at Providence
• Tied the SU single-game record for RBI in game with four in both games at Providence
• Set the school record for RBI in a doubleheader with eight at Providence
• Already has set the SU freshman record for home runs in a season with seven
ROSE REBOUNDS FROM ROCKY START
Sophomore Tanya Rose has improved her batting average to .265 after two hits in her first 30 at-bats of the season. Rose’s increase in production coincides with her move to the leadoff spot in the batting order. Since moving to the top of the lineup versus Florida Atlantic, Rose is hitting .375 with four home runs, 10 runs batted in and nine runs scored in 11 games. Rose, last season’s BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, has been particularly harsh on confernece pitchers, hitting .393 with three homers and six RBI. For the season, Rose is third on the team in batting (.265), second in home runs (5), second in RBI (13) and tied for first in doubles (5). She has a team-best seven stolen bases in seven attempts and has a string of 15 consecutive stolen bases dating back to last season.
DiMAGGIO WHIFFS 500TH OF HER CAREER
Earlier this season senior pitcher Tara DiMaggio became the first pitcher in Orangewomen history to reach the 500-strikeout mark. She now has 534 punchouts in her career. This season, DiMaggio is 6-8 with a 2.16 earned run average. She leads the team with nine complete games, two shutouts, 97.1 innings pitched and 70 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .189 against the senior right-hander.
SU WHEN LEADING AFTER FIVE INNINGS
The Orangewomen have been excellent at holding leads in the later innings this season. Syracuse has led after five full innings nine times this season and has converted all nine leads into victories. Comebacks have been hard to come by in 2003, however, with the Orangewomen losing all 17 games they have been losing or tied after the fifth inning.
THE SYRACUSE-ST. JOHN’S SERIES
Syracuse leads the all-time series with the Red Storm, 2-1. The teams met once last season at Florida State, a 11-1 SU win, but the scheduled BIG EAST doubleheader was wiped out because of weather. The Orangewomen have won the last two meetings.
