Saturday, March 25
South Orange, N.J.
12:00 p.m.
Syracuse University
14
vs
4
Seton Hall
Sophomore Erin Downey won both games against Seton Hall and moved into second on the SU career strikeout list.
SU Sweeps Seton Hall for the First Time
3/25/2006 10:18:00 PM | Softball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Orange (13-13, 2-0) opened conference play with a doubleheader sweep of two-time defending league champion Seton Hall (12-14, 0-2) on Saturday, March 25 at Ivy Hill Park. SU tied the school record for runs scored in a 14-4 game one victory, and rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh to win the second game, 4-3. It was the first time the Orange has ever taken both games of a twin bill versus the Pirates.
Syracuse’s runs total in the first game tied the team record of 14 set against Rutgers on April 24, 2005. The Orange scored at least two runs in every inning and pounded out seven hits in the contest, including three home runs. Two of the long balls were three-run shots and the third was a two-run blast off the bat of senior Alexis Switenko (Blue Anchor, N.J.).
Switenko also hit a solo home run in the second game, her league-leading eighth homer of the season. She is one home run shy of tying her own SU single-season standard of nine homers set in 2003. Switenko also hit nine long balls in 2004.
Senior Cassie Morales (Whittier, Calif.) crushed a three-run homer in her only at-bat of the first game. She also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to lead SU with four runs batted in. Morales passed former SU star Tanya Rose and now ranks second on the career RBI list with 94.
Freshman Heather Kim (Boulder, Colo.) also smashed a three-run dinger in the opening game. It was the second long ball of her career. Kim went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the contest.
Sophomore Erin Downey (San Rafael, Calif.) pitched all five innings to earn the win in the first game and tossed 4.2 innings in relief and did not allow a run to pick up the victory in game two. She struck out 14 batters on the day, including 10 in the first game. It was the 11th double-digit strikeout game of her career. Her 14 whiffs moved her past Heather Brown and into second place on SU’s all-time strikeout ledger (331). She also surpassed the 300 innings pitched mark for her career in the opening contest.
Already ahead 4-0 in game one, Syracuse scored seven runs in the bottom of the third to blow the game open and take an 11-0 advantage. The Orange batted around in the inning and got help from the Pirates in the form of two errors. SU recorded three hits in the frame with the big blow being Kim’s three-run homer to left.
Morales’ three-run blast in the fourth extended SU’s margin to 14-0. It was her fourth long ball of the season.
Seton Hall scored its only runs of the game in the fifth. Three of them came off the bat of Akoua Longergan who hit a three-run homer to produce the final score.
The Orange took a 2-0 lead in the opening game on Switenko’s homer in the first, and pushed its margin to 4-0 in the second inning on a two-run single by freshman Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.).
Sophomore Rachel Tilford (Birch Hills, Saskatchewan) went 2-for-3, scored two runs and drove in two in the game. She also stole two of SU’s season-high three bags in the contest.
Lonergan finished with three runs batted in for the Pirates.
In the second game, SU scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the seventh to overcome a 3-1 deficit and earn a 4-3 decision. Freshman Kim Weinstein (Tarzana, Calif.) drove in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to center. Consecutive doubles by Tilford and McCorkle to lead off the inning pulled the Orange within one, 3-2. After a single by sophomore Chanel Roehner (Simi Valley, Calif.), Kim hit SU’s third double of inning, scoring McCorkle to tie the game. Roehner tried to come home with the winning run on the play, but was thrown at the plate. Kim alertly moved to third on the throw home, setting the stage for Weinstein.
Kim went 3-for-4 in the game with a run batted in. Roehner, McCorkle and Tilford each had two hits for SU.
The Pirates claimed the early lead on a two-run single by Danielle Steinseifzer in the first. They tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly by Kealan Waldron in the third inning to go up, 3-0.
Downey relieved Switenko, who started the game in the circle, with one out in the third and retired nine straight batters until giving up a walk to Waldron in the sixth.
Down to its final four outs, Switenko ripped her second home run of the day with two down in the sixth to get SU on the scoreboard. The Orange then loaded the bases on singles by Weinstein, freshman Dani Stuart (Centralia, Wash.) and a walk to Morales, but Seton Hall starter Jessica Jones worked out of the jam.
The Pirates put two runners on base in the top of the seventh on a single and an error, but could not add to its advantage, setting the scene for SU’s come-from-behind victory.
SU outhit the Pirates in the second game, 12-6.
Steinseifzer went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in for the Pirates. Caitlin White also had two hits.
Syracuse will continue its road trip with a doubleheader at BIG EAST rival St. John’s on Sunday, March 26 at Red Storm Field. First pitch of the first game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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