On the Road Again: SU Travels to Villanova and Rutgers for a Pair of Twinbills
3/31/2006 10:31:36 AM | Softball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange continues conference play this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders. SU will take to the road again for twinbills at Villanova and at Rutgers. Both double dips will begin at 12:00 p.m. SU opened its league schedule by going 3-1 in four games against Seton Hall and St. John’s. The Orange posted its first-ever sweep of the Pirates on March 25, winning 14-4 and 4-3. The following day SU split versus St. John’s, taking game one, 5-0, but suffering its only defeat of the weekend, 7-4, in game two.
The Orange is 3-9 all-time against the Wildcats, but has won two of the last three meetings, including knocking off Villanova, 5-1, in the 2005 BIG EAST Tournament for its first postseason win. SU is 9-2-1 all-time versus Rutgers and swept the Scarlet Knights in the twinbill last season.
Scouting the Wildcats
• Villanova is coming off a sweep of Drexel on March 30. The Wildcats are 6-19 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
• Freshman Meghan Morese leads the team in hits (27), batting average (.325) and is tied for the club lead in RBI (15) with Sheri Donley.
• Pitcher Kat Walsh is 4-8 and leads the team in innings pitched (94.0) and strikeouts (84).
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
• Rutgers currently owns a 6-21 overall record and a 1-3 in conference action. The Scarlet Knights host a doubleheader versus Pittsburgh on April 1 before hosting SU.
• Sarah Kalka leads the team in hitting with a .400 (10-25) batting average and is tops on the club in homers (3). Brittany Loisel is only player hitting better than .300 (.319).
• Loisel and Kristin Madoch have started all 27 games.
Climbing the Career Charts
• Classmate Cassie Morales hit a three-run homer in her only at-bat in game one versus Seton Hall. She also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to finish with four runs batted in. The performance moved her past former SU star Tanya Rose and into second place on the school’s all-time RBI list. Morales also knocked in a run the Orange’s 5-0 shutout of St. John’s on March 26. She has 95 career RBI.
• Sophomore hurler Erin Downey moved up spots on several career lists. Downey pitched 22.2 innings, struck out 27 batters and went 3-1 in four appearances. She’s now tied for second with Courtney Mosch on the career wins list (27) and ranks second in career strikeouts (344). She also moved into third all-time in innings pitched (319.2).
Switenko Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll for Second Time
• Switenko paced the Orange with a .545 (6-11) batting average versus Seton Hall and St. John’s and drove in a team-best six runs.
• She cracked a home run in each game of SU’s twinbill against the Pirates.
• Switenko slugged 1.091 on the weekend and she had at least one hit and one RBI in all four contests.
• She tied her career high with three hits in SU’s 5-0 game one win against St. John’s on March 26. She also stole her first base of the year in the game.
Shades of Gray
• Gray was 3-for-7 with three runs scored in doubleheaders against Seton Hall and St. John’s.
• In game one versus the Red Storm she recorded her first multi-hit, multi-RBI game of the year, going 2-for-3 with two runs batted in.
• In the following game, she came through with an RBI single in the third inning.
Tilford Turns It On
• Sophomore Rachel Tilford had two hits in both games of the double dip versus Seton Hall.
• She stole a personal-best two bags in SU’s, 14-4, game one victory.
• Tilford scored three runs in the two games.
• In the second game against St. John’s the following day, she belted a solo homer, her second long ball of the year.
• She hit .417 with four runs scored and three RBI on the weekend.
• The Birch Hills, Saskatchewan native leads the team in stolen bases (4) and is one of three players to start all 28 games. She is batting .290 (20-69).
Rookies Running the Show
• Freshman Heather Kim leads the Orange in hitting at .368 (21-57). She is tied for second on the team with 21 hits and ranks third on the club in runs batted in (16). She hit her second home run of the year in the first game against Seton Hall. In the nightcap against the Pirates, she banged out a career-best three hits, including a personal-high two doubles and drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh. She hit .538 and led the team with seven hits in SU’s four games last weekend.
• Classmate Tonye McCorkle is second on the club with a .344 batting average and is tied with Kim for second with 21 hits. McCorkle is tied for the team lead in doubles (5) and has started all 19 games she has played in.
• Freshman catcher Kim Weinstein is tied with McCorkle for the squad doubles lead (5) and is batting .286. In the second game against Seton Hall, Weinstein drove in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
Roehner Returns
• She had three hits on the weekend, including a 2-for-4 showing in SU’s 4-3 win in the nightcap against the Pirates on March 25.
• Roehner scored a run in three of the Orange’s four games against Seton Hall and St. John’s.
