Sunday, April 26
South Bend, Ind.
11:00 a.m.
Syracuse University
0
at
4
Notre Dame
Senior Amy Kelley went 2-for-3 on Sunday afternoon.
Kelley and Gibbs Lead SU at Notre Dame
4/26/2009 5:13:43 PM | Softball
Boxscore Game One | Boxscore Game Two
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – BIG EAST foe Notre Dame (34-14, 15-3) proved to be an unbeatable challenge for the Syracuse softball team Sunday afternoon as the Fighting Irish swept the Orange. After dealing the Orange a 4-0 setback in game one, the Irish managed to secure a 6-3 victory in game two despite a late rally by Syracuse (28-18, 11-9).
Sophomore Rachel Helman led the Orange in game one going 2-for-3. Both sophomore Hallie Gibbs and senior Amy Kelley hit home runs in game two. Gibbs went 1-for-4 with one run scored, while Kelley finished 2-for-3. Freshman pitcher Jenna Caira pitched 10 innings between the two games and threw a total of 11 strikeouts.
Game One
Notre Dame took an early lead scoring runs in the bottom of the first. Beth Northway led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on a sac bunt by teammate Linda Kohan. An RBI-double from Christine Lux plated Northway to give ND a 1-0 advantage. Notre Dame's next run came on a throwing error by Gibbs at third base which Dani Miller to reach first and sent Lux to home plate to make it a 2-0 game.
Syracuse registered a hit each in the second and third innings, but was unable to capitalize. Senior Nicole Miller singled down the left field line in the top of the second and Helman had a base-hit to shortstop in the third.
Notre Dame added its third run in the bottom half of the third. Kohan slammed a home run to left field to increase the Irish lead to three. However, Caira struck out two before Katie Fleury lined out to end the inning.
Syracuse tacked on two more hits before Notre Dame scored its final run. Both Kelley and Helman registered base-hits in the fourth and fifth, respectively.
Notre Dame's final run came in the bottom of the sixth. After Fleury was walked, Erin Marrone singled through the right side and advanced to second, moving Fleury to third. A ground out from Alexia Clay scored Fleury and made it a 4-0 game in favor of the Irish.
Game Two
After a scoreless three innings to start the game, the Orange took an early 1-0 lead in the fourth. Kelley led off with a long ball over the left centerfield wall, but it was the only hit during SU's turn at-bat.
Syracuse kept the Irish off the board until the fifth when the ND squad took control of the game with three runs. After Alexa Maldonado was hit by a pitch and Heather Johnson was walked, Lux powered a triple to right field plating Maldonado and Kasey O'Connor who had pinch ran for Johnson. A single from Miller that scored Lux made it a 3-1 game.
Gibbs led off the sixth for the Orange with a homer to left field to put the Orange one run from tying the game. Kelley then followed suit with a single down the right field line. Miller and freshman Lacey Kohl both grounded out to advance freshman Nicole Lamison, who pinch ran for Kelley, to third. Freshman Gaby Torzilli then tied the game at 3-3 with a double to centerfield scoring Lamison.
Notre Dame took the game right back in the bottom of the inning. The Fighting Irish scored three runs and held the Orange to only one hit in the seventh to secure the win.
What's Next
Syracuse plays its final games of the regular season on Sunday, May 3 when it hosts Rutgers. The Orange faces the Scarlet Knights at noon. SU will honor the team's five seniors at the doubleheader.
Sunday, May 03
Sunday, May 03
Sunday, April 26
Saturday, April 25
