Orange Begins Six-Game Road Stretch with Canisius
4/26/2005 9:41:39 AM | Softball
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Syracuse softball team will play the first two of six straight road games to end the regular season on Tuesday, April 26 at Canisius. The doubleheader at the Demske Sports Complex gets underway at 3 p.m.
Syracuse has won a school-record 26 games (26-15, 11-3 BIG EAST) after sweeping Rutgers on Sunday. The Golden Griffins are 12-14 overall and 5-5 in the MAAC after losing twice to Fairfield on Monday.
SU pounded out 26 runs on 29 hits in the wins against the Scarlet Knights, including a school-record 14 runs in game two. The Orange smacked six home runs in the doubleheader to set the team single-season record. SU has hit 35 home runs this season, breaking the mark of 32 set in 2003. Shawna Norris leads the team with seven, followed closely by Cassie Morales with six. Tanya Rose, Alexis Switenko and Courtney Mosch has each hit five home runs.
Tiffany Robinson leads the team with a .366 batting average. She has hit safely in each of the last 11 games she has started. Morales has raised her season average to .318 and leads the team in hits (41), doubles (12), runs batted in (29) and slugging percentage (.550). Rose is at .315 with a team-high 32 runs scored. She has also driven in 20. Rose is the only player in school history with 30 runs scored and 20 runs batted in during the same season. She also accomplished the feat last season with a school-record 41 runs scored and 23 RBI.
SU has a school-record five players with at least 20 runs batted in, including Morales, Chanel Roehner (23), Alexis Switenko (21), Norris (20) and Rose. Mosch (18) and Erin Gray (16) are also closing in on the mark. SU is just four runs batted in short of setting the the team single-season record of 170 set last season.
The pitching tandem of Mosch and Erin Downey has also made some history this season. They are just the second SU pitchers to each win at least 10 games in a season. Downey leads the Orange with a 15-6 mark, while Mosch is 10-9. Their 25 combined wins has already tied the school record. Mosch boasts a 1.71 ERA and is keeping opposing batters to just a .194 batting average. Downey leads the team with 159 strikeouts in 146.2 innings. She had a career-high 13 whiffs in her win against Rutgers. She now owns the school record with seven double-digit strikeout games.
Canisius enters Tuesday's games with a perfect 6-0 record at home. The Golden Griffins have lost four straight overall, losing MAAC doubleheaders at Iona and Fairfield. Katie Miranto is one of four Canisius players batting better than .300. She leads the team with a .351 average. Beth Enk is at .343 with five home runs, while Becky Owen is hitting .341 with a team-high 10 stolen bases. Jessica Martin has supplied most of the power. She is hitting an even .300 with nine home runs and 24 runs batted in. In the circle, Jess Stackhouse (3-1) boasts a team-leading 1.34 ERA in 11 appearances. Anrdrea Bunten has a 1.77 ERA, leading the team with seven wins (7-7) and 128 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched.
SU has won three straight games against the Golden Griffins, including a doubleheader sweep at the SU Softball Stadium last season. The Orange has not plaed at Canisius since the 2000 season when the two teams split a twin bill. Syracuse leads the all-time series, 4-2.
Tuesday's games are the final non-conference games of the season for the Orange. SU will play at Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 30 and at Notre Dame on Sunday, May 1. One more league victory will clinch the Orange's second-ever appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament.
