Orange Softball Advances to Sunshine State Championship Game

Saturday, February 19

Tallahassee, Fla.

2 p.m. ET

Syracuse University

at #15 Florida State (Sunshine State Tournament)

Erin Downey earned her first career win against South Carolina, and then picked up her second save of the season against Florida State.

Orange Softball Advances to Sunshine State Championship Game

2/19/2005 9:01:55 PM | Softball

SU 2, USC 1
SU 2, FSU 2

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Syracuse softball team earned a pair of 2-1 victories against South Carolina and 15^th-ranked Florida State on Saturday, Feb. 19 to advance to the championship game of the Sunshine State Tournament hosted by the Seminoles. SU (3-2) is off to its best five-game start and has beaten two ranked teams in the same season for the first time in school history.

The SU pitching tandem of sophomore Courtney Mosch and freshman Erin Gray limited the Gamecocks (7-5), who were receiving votes for this week’s top 25, and Seminoles (7-5) to a combined two runs on four hits. Downey (1-0) was the winning pitcher against South Carolina in the opener. She went six and two-thirds innings, allowing just one run on three hits for her first career victory. She struck out two and walked two. Mosch came on to get the final out with the tying run on second base, notching her first save of the season.

The duo reversed roles in the win against FSU. Mosch (2-2) started the game and went four and two-thirds innings She gave up one run on three hits, walking three and striking out two. Downey came on in relief to earn her second save of the season. She pitched two and one-third innings and did not allow a hit while walking one and striking out one. Downey’s two saves are a new single-season record for the Orange.

Offensively, senior Tanya Rose provided the biggest hit of the day with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning against Florida State to provide the Orange its 2-1 margin of victory. Rose had two hits and two runs scored against the Seminoles and had three hits for the day. Freshman Chanel Roehner had the Orange’s other hit, against FSU, an RBI single, and two hits on the day. Both Rose and Roehner have hit safely in Syracuse’s last four games.

Junior Alexis Switenko had an RBI triple in the first game against the Gamecocks to go along with singles by senior Shawna Norris and sophomore Erin Gray.

In the first game against South Carolina, neither team scored until the bottom of the fourth inning. Rose started the inning with a base hit, but was erased on a fielder’s choice. Another fielder’s choice put a runner on first with two outs when Switenko belted her first triple of the season to give SU a 1-0 lead. The Orange scored its second run in the home half of the fifth. Back-to-back singles by Gray and Norris, and a sacrifice by senior Jaime Grillo put runners on second and third with one out. Norris scored what would turn out to be the game-winning run on a passed ball.

Downey stymied the Gamecocks’ offense, allowing only one hit through the first six innings. USC was able to break through in the seventh, however. A single and a two-out double cut the lead to 2-1. Downey then allowed a walk to put two runners on when Mosch entered the contest. The sophomore induced a fly ball to left field to clinch the victory.

The Orange scored first in the second game against the Seminoles. In the top of the third Rohener drove in a run with a single after Rose had reached on an error. FSU came right back in the home half of the inning to tie the score on an RBI double by Veronica Wootson. Rose provided the winning margin with her first home run of the season, a solo shot, in the top of the fifth.

Mosch allowed only one hit through the first four innings, but ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the fifth. After the first two batters were retired, the Seminoles had consecutive singles, prompting the pitching switch to Downey. Downey struck out Wootson, but the pitch went to the backstop to load the bases. Tatiana George ended the inning with a ground ball to short.

Only one runner reached base for either team the rest of the game when FSU drew a two-out walk in the seventh. Downey retired the next hitter to clinch the Orange victory and give the Seminoles its only loss of the tournament.

Syracuse, the fourth seed after bracket play, will face South Carolina, the second seed, in the championship game. The Gamecocks advanced to the title game with a 7-1 victory against Southeastern Louisiana.