BIG EAST Hopes on the Line in Weekend Doubleheaders
5/7/2004 11:33:55 AM | Softball
Game One Live Stats (SJU)
Game Two Live Stats (SJU)
JAMAICA, N.Y. -The Syracuse softball team will play its final four regular-season games on the road this weekend with the hopes of qualifying for the 2004 BIG EAST Tournament which will be held at the SU Softball Stadium on May 13-15. The Orangewomen play at St. John's (26-24, 8-8) on Saturday, May 8 and at Seton Hall (38-16, 9-7) on Sunday, May 9. Both doubleheaders begin at 12 p.m.
SU, St. John's, Seton Hall, Providence and Boston College are all still alive for the final two playoff berths. Notre Dame has already clinched the top spot, while Villanova has secured a place in the four-team conference postseason. Syracuse (24-26, 8-8) holds its postseason fate in its hands. If the Orangewomen can win out, they will finish third in the BIG EAST and face the Wildcats in the first round of the conference tournament.
The Orangewomen can still qualify for the postseason with three victories provided that the Fighting Irish can win their four remaining games against Seton Hall (Saturday) and St. John's (Sunday). If Notre Dame, 16-0 in league play, wins out and SU can win three of its four games this weekend, the Orangewomen will secure a playoff spot.
There is also a way for SU to make the BIG EAST Tournament if it wins twice this weekend. Syracuse would need more help in this scenario. Notre Dame would have to win its four games and Pittsburgh would have to defeat Boston College twice on Saturday. Due to the tiebreaker situations, the Orangewomen would need to split both doubleheaders. Two losses to either St. John's or Seton Hall would eliminate SU from playoff contention.
THE SYRACUSE VS. ST. JOHN'S SERIES
Syracuse has won three of the five previous meetings between the two schools. Last season, the Orangewomen split a doubleheader at home, defeating teh Red Storm 3-2 in game one and losing game two, 5-4. SU split a doubleheader in its only other trip to Jamaica. The Red Storm won the opener, 1-0, but the Orangewomen came back to take a 3-1 win in game two.
THE SYRACUSE VS. SETON HALL SERIES
The Pirates own a 7-2 advantage against Syracuse. Seton Hall has been the Orangewomen's most frequent opponent. The two teams have met every season since SU started its program in 2000. Last season, the Orangewomen lost both ends of a twin bill to the Pirates, 3-1 and 5-1. SU's last trip to South Orange was in 2001. The Pirates won two that day, 8-0 in five innings and 2-1.
ROOKIE SHATTERS WIN RECORD
Freshman pitcher Courtney Mosch appeared in seven of SU’s eight games last week, going 4-1 with one save. Mosch is now 17-13 on the season, breaking the school record for wins in a season. The old mark was 14 set by Tara DiMaggio in 2000. For the week, the rookie right-hander posted a 1.05 ERA in 33 and one-third innings of work. She struck out 21 and walked 10. Mosch threw her fifth shutout of the season, blanking Virginia Tech 8-0 in six innings. She allowed only four hits for the game. She earned her first career save in the second game against the Hokies. Mosch came on with the tying runs on base with two outs in the sixth, but was able to get out of the inning and hold Virginia Tech scoreless in the seventh to preserve the victory. Mosch leads SU in every pitching category so far this season. She has made a school-record 35 appearances and owns a 1.73 earned run average. She has completed 10 of her starts, going 181 and two-thirds innings. She has struck out 118 hitters and limited opponents to a .222 batting average. Mosch also contributed at the plate this week, driving in three runs. She belted her third home run of the season to give SU a 2-0 lead against Connecticut in its 3-2 victory against the Huskies. For the season, Mosch is hitting .260 with four doubles, three homers and 11 runs driven in.
SWITENKO RACKS UP THE RUNS BATTED IN
Sophomore shortstop Alexis Switenko drove in five runs in SU’s doubleheader sweep of Virginia Tech to become the first Orangewoman ever to reach the 40-RBI plateau for a single season. Switenko kept the record-book writers busy last week. She tied her own school record, belting her ninth home run of the season against Connecticut. She also hit nine as a rookie last season. Switenko has registered 93 total bases so far this season to become the first Orangewoman ever to accumulate at least 90 total bases. She is the team’s leading hitter at .347, a 111-point improvement from last season, and paces SU wiht two triples and a .620 slugging percentage.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN
Sophomore outfielder Cassie Morales recorded four doubles last week to run her season total to 17 and break the SU single-season mark. The previous record was 13 set by Katie Kaempfer in 2002. Morales has been one of SU’s top hitters all season, posting a .321 batting average, six home runs and 34 runs batted in. She has also been SU’s toughest player to strike out, fanning once every 11.6 at-bats. Morales and Switenko are the first Orangewomen ever to drive in 30-or-more runs in a season. Morales is also one-third of a history-making trio. She, along with Switenko and junior Tanya Rose are the first three players in school history to have at least 50 hits in the same season. Rose leads the team with 53, while Morales and Switenko each have 52. Rose set the school record in 2002 with 54.
PARK GOES OUT ON TOP
Senior second baseman Rachel Park made her final regular-season appearance at the SU Softball Stadium one to remember. The fifth-year senior recorded four hits, scored four runs and had five RBI in the Orangewomen’s doubleheader sweep of Virginia Tech. Park is now tied for first on the Syracuse career hit list with 164 (Christina Holowich, 2000-03). Park will end her career in the top five in almost every offensive category, including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, walks, doubles, home runs and runs batted. She is one of only three players with 200 career total bases, and ranks third on both the games played and games started list. Park is the player in school history with two four-hit games. This season she is hitting .269 (39-for-145) with 23 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, a home run and 13 runs batted in.
ROBINSON PROVIDES HEROICS VERSUS PITTSBURGH
Junior right fielder Tiffany Robinson hit perhaps the most dramatic home run in school history in SU’s 6-5, nine-inning victory in game two of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh. The Orangewomen trailed 5-4 with two outs and a runner on second base in the bottom of the ninth. On a 3-1 pitch, Robinson, primarily a slap hitter, blooped a foul ball down the left-field line. The Panther outfielder made a diving attempt and got her glove on the ball, but couldn’t hang on when she hit the turf. On the next pitch, the left-hander smashed her first career home run over the right-center field wall to give SU the doubleheader sweep and keep its chances at a BIG EAST Tournament berth alive. Robinson has been a solid additon to the Orangewomen lineup. She showed her versatility in the Virginia Tech doubleheader, bunting for hits twice and then driving a double over the left fielder’s head. She ranks fourth on the team wtih a .310 average and eight doubles. She has scored 21 runs and driven in eight. Robinson has yet to be caught in eight stolen base attempts.
LARSEN EARNS WIN VERSUS HOKIES
Senior pitcher Haley Larsen snapped a personal eight-game losing streak with a win in game two against Virginia Tech. Larsen pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on six hits. She had one strike out. Larsen has pitched much better than her 7-13 record indicates. She has a 3.48 ERA with two complete-game shutouts. During her eight-game losing streak, she allowed three-or-fewer earned runs six times. The SU offense has scored just 15 runs in that stretch, including two shutouts.
NEVER SAY DIE
The Orangewomen overcame a 4-0 deficit in game two versus Pittsburgh to win the game 6-5 in extra innings. It was SU’s third four-run comeback of the season. Syracuse overcame two four-run deficits in their game-one victory against Canisius. SU trailed 4-0 and 7-3, but scored five times in the final two innings for the win. The Orangewomen trailed Delaware 4-0 after a half inning of play at the Mizuno Bash at the Beach hosted by Delaware State. SU came back twice in that game. After the Orangewomen took a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning, the Blue Hens came back with two runs to go back on top 6-5. SU then scored five unanswered runs to take the 10-6 victory. Syracuse has come back from four-run deficits five times in school history. In addition to this season’s thre comebacks, the Orangewomen overcame 4-0 leads against Boston College on April 20, 2002 and Pittsburgh on May 6, 2002. SU defeated the Eagles, 6-5 in 14 innings, and took the Panthers, 8-7.
