SU Holds On to Win, 2-1, Versus Canisius

Wednesday, April 26

SU Softball Stadium

5:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Canisius

Senior Alexis Switenko drove in both runs for the Orange on Wednesday.

4/26/2006 7:37:15 PM | Softball

SU 2, CC 1

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange (31-19) began its seven-game homestand with a 2-1 victory versus Canisius on Wednesday, April 26 at the SU Softball Stadium. Senior Alexis Switenko (Blue Anchor, N.J.) drove in both SU runs with a single to center in the bottom of the third inning.

Switenko was 1-for-3 at the plate against the Golden Griffins. She now has 54 hits on the season, one shy of tying the SU individual marks for hits in a season. Her two RBI increased her season total to 38, two off her single-season record (40) established in 2004.

Sophomore Chanel Roehner (Simi Valley, Calif.) had the only other hit in the game for the Orange, a single to center in the fifth.

The Golden Griffins kept the Orange offense at bay using a total of four pitchers in the contest.

The two runs were just enough for sophomore pitcher Erin Downey (San Rafael, Calif.). Downey surrendered one run, a solo homer by Brittany Bonetto to lead off the fourth, to earn her 19^th win of the season. She allowed three hits, walked three and struck out 13, including fanning the side in the second and seventh innings.

Neither of SU runs were earned as an error by Canisius second baseman Ashley Bonetto prolonged the inning. Golden Griffins’ starter Courtney Piar was pulled in favor of Lindsay Garbacz prior to the start of the frame and Garbacz immediately walked leadoff batter freshman Amy Kelley (Bend, Ore.). After a Roehner strikeout, freshman Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) hit a slow roller to short, but Bonetto dropped the throw from the shortstop Katie Miranto to put runners on first and second with one out. A ground out by sophomore Rachel Tilford (Birch Hills, Saskatchewan) moved the runners to second and third and rookie Heather Kim (Boulder, Colo.) drew a walk to load the bases and set the stage for Switenko’s two-run single.

The Golden Griffins had a chance to tie the game in the sixth, but left the bases loaded. With runners on first and third and one out, SU head coach Mary Jo Firnbach intentionally walked Jamie Gerace to load the bases and bring up Jess Martin. The strategy worked as Martin hit a ground ball to third that junior Erin Gray (Katy, Texas) fielded and fired to home for the force out. Downey took care of the rest, striking out Cameron Norton to end the threat.

The victory was the ninth home win of the year for the Orange, tied for the second-most in team history.

SU, which has already clinched a berth in the 2006 BIG EAST Championship, will continue its homestand on Friday, April 28 when it hosts Connecticut in a twin bill beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the SU Softball Stadium.