Orange Faces Bulls For Mid-Week Showdown

Game Notes (PDF)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The BIG EAST Championship bound Orange softball team welcomes Buffalo to the SU Softball SkyTop on Wednesday as part of its regular-season homestand finale. Junior catcher Amy Kelley continues her quest to solidify her season as one of the best in school history and leads the Orange (20-26) against the Bulls (5-31) in the 1 p.m. doubleheader, which can be followed via live stats by clicking here.

Kelley, who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on April 21, leads the Orange in seven offensive categories: batting average (.368), doubles (10), home runs (11), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.692), on-base percentage (.444) and total bases (92). Her slugging percentage and on-base percentage are second on the school's single season list, while her home run total is tied for second.

Freshman first baseman Hallie Gibbs is enjoying a successful rookie season with the Orange and is on pace to set the freshman games-started record, which is held Chanel Roehner and Nicole Miller with 50. She has already set the record for walks by a freshman with 24. Gibbs' five home runs, which is second on the team, is tied with Roehner for fifth on the school's freshman list. The Munster, Ind. native is second on the team with 22 RBI and a .387 slugging percentage. She has totaled 33 hits, including five doubles and defensively, she has registered a team-high 94 assists.

Both Roehnerand sophomore Brittany Gardner have posted 10-strikeout performances this season. Roehner whiffed a career-high 10 batters in SU's 1-0 nine-inning win against St. John's Gardner “K”ed a season-high 10 in the Orange's 2-1 victory against Niagara. During the doubleheader against the Purple Eagles she struck out a combined 13. Gardner's performance marked the second time in her career she registered 10 or more strikeouts. She fanned a career-high 12 in a 9-2 win against McNeese State in 2007.

The two aces have combined for a 20-19 record with a 2.58 ERA and 195 strikeouts, while hitters are batting .262 against the duo.

Buffalo is on a five-game skid and last won on April 19 in nine innings against Ball State (4-3). The Bulls have lost 14 of 16 and coming off a 5-0 and 4-0 sweep at the hands of Kent State. Sophomore pitcher Sharon Barr leads the team

with a .297 batting average, a .473 slugging percentage and a .379 on-base percentage. In the circle, she has posted a 2-12 record with a 6.39 ERA and 52 strikeouts. Senior Mary Russell is second on the team with a .282 average and leads the squad with 31 hits and 15 RBI.

Syracuse is 7-1 all-time against Buffalo and has six consecutive games. Last season the Orange defeated the Bulls, 6-5, by pounding six runs off of 11 hits and freshman Brittany Gardner earned her eighth victory of the year, allowing five runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts.

Syracuse University Athletics

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