Kelley Makes History; Orange Sweeps Pirates

Sunday, April 20

Syracuse, N.Y.

Noon

Syracuse University

Seton Hall

Amy Kelley made SU history by hitting three home runs in three straight plate appearances.

4/20/2008 4:00:37 PM | Softball

Game #1 Box Score
Game #2 Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Junior catcher Amy Kelley unloaded for three home runs during the Orange’s 4-3 and 5-4 sweep against Seton Hall on Sunday at the SU Softball Stadium at SkyTop. Kelley, who leads the BIG EAST with 11 home runs, became only the second Orange to hit three home runs in one day and the first to do so on three consecutive plate appearances. She is the tenth Orange student-athlete to homer twice in one game and the only Orange to account for all five of her team’s RBI in one game.

"Amy just had one of those days where she was just in the zone," said head coach Leigh Ross. "This game is just one of many great one she has had this year and she keeps proving that she is one of the top players in the BIG EAST. We needed these wins today and our team fed off what she did."

The junior finished the day 3-for-6 with six RBI and three runs scored. She matched Alexis Switenko’s feat when she hit three long balls in a doubleheader against Providence in 2003. Kelley leads the BIG EAST with a .726 slugging percentage and leads the Orange with a .387 batting average.

With the BIG EAST sweep, the Orange are now 18-25 overall and 9-7 in the conference, while the Pirates go to 17-30 and 4-14 in the BIG EAST.

Kelley’s first shot started a Syracuse rally in the bottom of the sixth of game one. With the Orange trailing 3-0, the Bend, Ore. native sent her 17th career home run over the right field fence.

Following Kelley, freshman third baseman Hallie Gibbs, senior outfielder Rachel Tilford and junior second baseman Lindsay Wasek each reached base. Junior first baseman Nicole Miller drove in two of the three to pull the score even with a single to right-center field.

After a defensive stop in the top of the seventh, junior shortstop Jamie Kelling led off with a single through the left side. Senior pitcher/centerfielder Chanel Roehner followed with a sacrifice bunt, allowing Kelling to advance to second. Kelling’s aggressive base-running forced a wild throw to third by second baseman Leah Menichetti, allowing Kelling to advance home.

The Pirates had built their lead with a solo long ball by leftfielder Jenna Best in the fourth and a RBI single, which scored two, by shortstop Brittany Schillizzi in the sixth.

Seton Hall left two runners on base in the fifth due to a stellar diving catch in shallow left-center by Tilford. Other Orange defensive gems in the game included Gibbs’ one-handed grab and throw on a bunt to get the first out in the third, and Kelley and Wasek’s combined effort for a pickoff in the sixth.

Roehner was given the start in the circle and threw 5.1 innings, striking out four, before sophomore pitcher Brittany Gardner provided 1.2 innings of relief work, striking out three, to improve her record on the season to 10-9. Roehner struck out three consecutive batters between the first and second inning and increased her shutout streak to 12.2 innings before allowing the homer.

Jessica Jones threw 5.0 innings before being replaced by the losing pitcher Ashley Forsyth (10-14), who pitched 1.1 innings and allowed four runs (three unearned).

Kelley, who was hitting out of the three hole for the first time this season, gave SU an early 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two with her first two-run home run of the season.

The Pirates tied things up with two runs of their own in the top of the second, but Kelley pulled the Orange ahead with a three-run shot in the second.

Syracuse cruised until the top of the sixth when its South Orange, N.J. opponent scored two runs on a RBI double by Schillizzi.

Gardner and the Orange defense went one-two-three in the seven and Gardner improves to 11-9 on the season, after her 5.1 inning, seven strikeout performance.

Seton Hall pitcher and Syracuse, N.Y. native Kim Schweitzer threw a complete game despite falling to 3-9 this season.

The Orange has its last regular-season road trip when it heads to Canisius on Thursday, April 24 (3 p.m.) and to Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 26 (noon) for a pair of doubleheaders.