Courtney Mosch allowed only one earned run on four hits versus Villanova last season.
Friday's Softball Doubleheader Now at 1:30 p.m.
4/21/2005 4:44:26 PM | Softball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The softball doubleheader between Syracuse (23-14, 8-2) and Villanova (30-20, 4-6) scheduled for Friday, April 22 will begin at 1:30 p.m. The twin bill was originally slated for 4 p.m., but changed to ensure that both games are played before the rain predicted for this evening reaches the Syracuse area.
The Orange is coming off a 6-5 loss to Cornell on Wednesday. SU has lost two games in a row for the first time since March 17-18. Syracuse has not lost a conference game since a 1-0 defeat to Seton Hall on April 10. In its five straight BIG EAST wins since, SU has outscored its opponents 37-8. A pair of wins versus the Wildcats would clinch a winning season in BIG EAST play and tie the Orange with Seton Hall at the top of the conference standings.
If the statistics are any indication, Friday’s doubleheader should belong to the pitchers. Through games of April 18, The Wildcats are second in the league with a 1.50 ERA, while SU is ranked third at 1.60. Four of the conference’s top seven individual pitchers will be on display. Villanova’s Shannon Williams boasts a 16-10 record with a 1.21 ERA, second-best in the league. The SU tandem of Courtney Mosch (9-8, 1.54 ERA) and Erin Downey (13-6, 1.79 ERA) were ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the last conference report. VU’s Kristen Haynes (12-10) was seventh with a 1.53 earned run average.
At the plate, junior Cassie Morales has been the Orange’s hottest hitter of late. Morales is batting .310 overall and leads the team with 10 doubles and 21 runs batted in. In the last 12 games, she is hitting .372 with four home runs and 13 RBI. Morales has torched league pitching so far to the tune of a .457 average with three homers and 12 runs batted in.
For the first time since the 2002 season, Syracuse has four players who have already reached the 20-RBI plateau. In addition to Morales, senior Shawna Norris, freshman Chanel Roehner and junior Alexis Switenko all have driven in 20 runs. Switenko is second on the team with a .316 average and has hit four home runs. Norris leads the team with seven home runs, a .543 slugging percentage and a .427 on-base percentage. Rohener is batting .293 with nine doubles and three home runs.
Lisa Krueger leads the Wildcats at the plate with a .286 batting average. Allie Wisniewski has been the top run producer with eight home runs and 26 runs batted in. Kari Koller has belted seven homers.
The Wildcats have owned the all-time series with the Orange, winning eight of nine games. Villanova swept a home doubleheader, 2-0 and 3-1, last season. Syracuse’s only win was a 7-6 victory on May 4, 2003 in the Wildcats’ last visit to the SU Softball Stadium.
The Orange will play its final home games of the season on Sunday, April 24 versus Rutgers at 12 p.m.
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