Sunday, February 20
Tallahassee, Fla.
11 a.m. ET
Syracuse University
10
at
3
vs. South Carolina (Sunshine State Tournament)
Alexis Switenko drove in a career-high five runs in the championship game and was named to the Sunshine State All-Tournament Team.
Orange Softball Wins Sunshine State Tournament
2/20/2005 1:57:43 PM | Softball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Junior shortstop Alexis Switenko tied the Orange’s single-game record with five runs batted in to lead the Syracuse softball team to a 10-3 victory versus South Carolina (8-6) in the championship game of the Sunshine State Tournament hosted by Florida State. The Orange won its final three games of tournament action to improve to 4-2 on the season.
All nine Syracuse starters had at least one hit in the game. Switenko finished the game with three hits, including her first home run of the season, and two runs scored. Rookie Chanel Roehner ran her hitting streak to five games with two hits, including her first career home run. Roehner also scored three runs and drove in two. Senior Tanya Rose had one hit and scored twice to extend her hitting streak to five games. Sophomore Courtney Mosch belted her second home run of the season. Senior Jaime Grillo added an RBI double.
Mosch (3-2) was the winning pitcher, throwing a complete-game one-hitter. She allowed three unearned runs, retiring the Gamecocks in order in six of her seven innings. Mosch walked two and struck out six. It is the second time this season she has been the winning pitcher and hit a home run in the same game.
Switenko got Syracuse on the board first in the top half of the opening inning. Rose led off the game with a walk and moved to second on a two-out wild pitch. Switenko then blasted her 19th career home run to give SU a 2-0 lead. Mosch made it 3-0, completing the Orange’s first back-to-back home runs of the season.
Roehner started another three-run rally in the top of the third with a leadoff double. Switenko drove in her third run with a double to score Roehner, and later scored herself on a passed ball. Senior Shawna Norris kept the inning alive with a single and sophomore Erin Gray followed with her only hit of the game. Grillo then drove in her first run of the season with a double to make the score 6-0.
SU took an 8-0 lead with two more runs in the top of the fourth. Rose led off with a single and scored on Roehner’s long ball. SU could’ve ended it in the fifth, but the Gamecocks broke through for three runs. Mosch lost her bid for a perfect game with back-to-back walks to start the inning. After a groundout and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out, South Carolina plated two unearned runs on the Orange’s only error of the game. Jessica Josker delivered a two-out RBI single for USC’s lone hit of the game, making the score 8-3.
Syracuse got two of the runs back in the top of the sixth. Roehner started a two-out rally with a base on balls and moved to second on a single by junior Cassie Morales. Freshman Joscie Kaup pinch ran for Morales and both runner scored on Switenko’s second double of the day.
Switenko’s five runs batted in tied the mark originally set by Rachel Park versus Siena on April 24, 2003. Her two doubles also tied an SU single-game mark.
Syracuse had five players named to the Sunshine State All-Tournament Team. Freshman pitcher Erin Downey made three appearances, recording a win and a save with six strikeouts. Mosch went 2-2 with a save and 17 strikeouts as a pitcher, while slugging .553 with a home run at the plate. Rose hit .33 with a double, triple and a home run. Roehner hit .412 with three doubles a home run and four runs batted in. Switenko rounded out the group with a .294 averaged, two doubles, a triple, a home run and six runs batted in.
SU is off to its best six-game start in school history. All four of the Orange’s wins have come against teams either ranked or receiving votes for the top 25. Syracuse has now claimed three tournament titles in the last two seasons. The Orange has nearly two weeks off before traveling to the George Mason University to compete in the Patriot Classic on March 5-6.
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