SU Rally Comes Up Short on Baker's Walk-Off Blast

Saturday, February 11

Tempe, Ariz.

7:30 p.m. EST

Syracuse University

vs. Cal State Fullerton (Kajikawa Classic)

Sophomore Chanel Roehner hit her sixth career homer on Saturday versus Cal State Fullerton.

SU Rally Comes Up Short on Baker's Walk-Off Blast

2/12/2006 8:21:55 AM | Softball

Cal State Fullerton 3, Syracuse 2

TEMPE, ARIZ. – Sophomores Rachel Tilford (Birch Hills, Saskatchewan) and Chanel Roehner (Simi Valley, Calif.) belted back-to-back homers in the top of the seventh to tie the score 2-2, but Cal State Fullerton’s Candace Baker hit a walk-off homer to lead off the bottom of the inning to lift the Titans to a 3-2 victory against the Orange at the 2006 Kajikawa Classic on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Trailing 2-0, and down to its final two outs after freshman catcher Amy Kelley (Bend, Ore.) lined out to open the inning, Tilford crushed SU’s first home run of the season over the fence in left field to make the score 2-1. Roenher followed with her sixth career long ball to tie the game. It was the 12^th time in team history the Orange hit back-to-back dingers and the second time in her career Roehner was involved in back-to-back home runs.

In the home half of the seventh, Orange starting pitcher Erin Downey (San Rafael, Calif.) got ahead of Baker, 0-2, but Baker launched Downey’s next offering over the leftfield wall to provide the winning margin.

Downey (0-2) took the loss, her second of the day. She allowed 10 hits and struck out three. Marissa Marzan (1-0) went the distance for the Titans, giving up five hits and striking out four, to pick up her first win of the season.

The pair of pitchers matched one another zero for zero through first three innings. Cal State Fullerton threatened in the third, but Downey worked out of a one-out, bases loaded jam that kept the game scoreless.

The Titans (2-2) finally broke through in the fourth. After a single by Whitney Kroh, Amanda Kamekona reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second to put runners on second and third with two outs. That brought up Crystal Vieyra, who drove in both runs with a single up the middle.

SU (0-4) was poised to get on the scoreboard in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs on a pair of walks and a fielder’s choice, but Marzan induced a ground out by freshman Kim Weinstein (Tarzana, Calif.) to end the threat.

The two teams combined to strand 17 base runners in the game, including seven by the Orange.

Tilford went 2-for-3 for SU against Cal State Fullerton, the first multi-hit game of her career. Rookie Dani Stuart (Centralia, Wash.) registered her first-career base hit with a single to lead off the Orange half of the sixth and Kelley made the first start of her career behind the plate in the contest.

Jenna Wheeler paced the Titans’ offense with three hits.

Syracuse will conclude play at the Kajikawa Classic on Sunday, Feb. 12 versus #16/15 Northwestern. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST.