Syracuse University
at St. John's
Orangewomen Lose Twice to Red Storm
5/7/2004 10:12:15 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
JAMAICA, N.Y. – The Syracuse softball team lost both ends of a doubleheader at St. John’s on Saturday, May 8. The Red Storm overcame a 3-0 deficit to win game one, 4-3, and then took the nightcap, 4-1. Syracuse is now 24-28 overall and 8-10 in the BIG EAST, while St. John’s improved to 28-24 overall and 10-8 in the league.
SU’s two losses, coupled with Seton Hall’s sweep of Notre Dame, eliminated the Orangewomen from contention for a BIG EAST playoff spot.
Sophomore Cassie Morales led the SU offense with two hits and two runs batted in. Junior Melissa Kelly also had two hits and an RBI. Junior Tiffany Robinson had two hits, while freshman Erin Gray had a single in game one. Junior catcher Katie Kaempfer recorded two hits in game two. Senior Rachel Park also drove in a run.
Christina Tucker had three hits on the day for the Red Storm. Jillian Sandoval notched two hits and drove in three runs. Tami Hill and Jo Sherlock each had three hits and an RBI.
Freshman Courtney Mosch was the losing pitcher in the first game. She gave up nine hits and three earned runs in six and one-third innings of work. Mosch (17-14) struck out six and walked one. Courtney Fitzgerald was the winner for the Red Storm. She gave up three runs on four hits to improve to 16-3 on the season. Fitzgerald struck out 10 and walked two.
Senior Haley Larsen was the losing pitcher for the Orangewomen in game two. Larsen (7-14) threw six innings, allowing four runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits. She struck out three and did not walk a batter. Fitzgerald earned the win for the Red Storm. Fitzgerald (17-3) allowed one run on three hits, striking out four. Brittany Crouch earned her third save of the season, throwing three innings of relief.
Syracuse took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning of game one. Singles by Kelly and Gray, and a sacrifice by junior Jaime Grillo (Brentwood, N.Y.) put runners on second and third with one out. After a strikeout, junior Tanya Rose loaded the bases when she was hit by a pitch. Park drove in the first run with a walk, and Morales followed with a single down the left field line that drove in two more.
The Red Storm rallied in the bottom of the sixth for two runs to cut the lead to 3-2. Sandoval drove in both with a two-out double to right-center field. St. John’s won the game in the bottom of the seventh. A walk and two infield singles loaded the bases with one out. Sherlock then hit a roller up the middle that skipped off the glove of shortstop Alexis Switenko and allowed the tying and winning runs to score.
St. John’s scored first in the second game, plating a run in the bottom of the third. A single and an error put a runner on third with nobody out. Larsen induced two groundouts, but Hill drove in the run with a single to right center.
SU tied the score in the top of the fourth. Morales’ school-record 18th double of the season started the rally. A hit batter, fielder’s choice and wild pitch put two runners in scoring position for Kelly, who stroked a single to left field to drive in a run.
Sandoval put the Red Storm back on top in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI single to center field. St. John’s went ahead 3-1, scoring a run on SU’s second error of the game. St. John’s extended the lead to 4-1 with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth.
SU mounted one final rally in the top of the seventh with two singles with two outs, but Crouch fielded a line drive back to the circle for the third out.
The Orangewomen play their final games of the season on Sunday at Seton Hall. The doubleheader gets underway at 12 p.m.
