Fall Ball Begins in Binghamton
9/20/2009 10:42:04 PM | Softball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse softball squad returned to the field over the weekend, taking on LeMoyne, Albany, Cornell and Binghamton as part of the Binghamton Tournament. The goal of the offseason tournament was to help teams prepare for their spring season with game action, no official scores were kept.
“As a coaching staff we're very excited about what we saw this weekend,” head coach Leigh Ross said. “We have a very young team and these games gave us the opportunity to work on a lot of different things. As the weekend progressed the team became more comfortable playing with one another and played better as a team.”
Sophomore Stephanie Watts led the Orange in its first game of the weekend against LeMoyne, going 2-for-3 with a homerun. Sophomore infielder Kelly Saco had a double while freshman Morgan Nandin had two runs scored. Senior Brittany Gardner and sophomore Jenna Caira pitched a combined game, surrendering only one run between them.
Nandin and Saco continued to set the pace offensively in the second game of the day against Albany. Nandin went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Saco was 1-for-2. Freshman pitcher Stacy Kuwik saw her first collegiate action in the circle against the Great Danes, throwing five innings before junior Angie Sagnelli entered in relief in the sixth.
“We were too picky at the plate on the first day,” Ross said. “It can be hard for hitters early in the season and we haven't had the opportunity to face a lot of live pitching this early. As the weekend progressed our at bats were better, we started locking in and being more aggressive offensively.”
Syracuse collected nine hits against Cornell, led by junior Hallie Gibbs who was 2-for-3 with an RBI while Saco had a homerun and a pair of runs batted in. Nandin and sophomore Lacey Kohl were both 1-for-2 from the plate. Caira started the game in the circle, striking out four through five innings of work before Gardner entered in relief.
Kuwik starred in the final game of the tournament against Cornell, no hitting the Big Red through five innings. The rookie also had a strong showing at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBI helping the Orange to its best offensive performance of the tournament with 12 hits. Gibbs, Kohl and freshman Meghan Boston were all 2-for-3 against Cornell while rookie Veronica Grant was 2-4 with an RBI.
“I was very happy with Stacy Kuwik's performance,” Ross said. “She is the youngest pitcher on her staff so we wanted to get her a lot of innings. I'm really excited with what she was able to do.”
“Other things that stuck out were that Veronica Grant had four stolen bases, one in each game, and Kelly Saco had a standout performance at the plate with a homerun and a pair of doubles,” Ross continued. “All 15 players on our roster had the opportunity to get good playing time and we were happy to be able to see what everyone could do.”
Kohl and freshman Ashley Dimon split time behind the plate for the Orange over the two days, looking to fill the spot left by graduated senior Amy Kelley.
“Lacey Kohl plays so many positions for us, she plays infield, outfield and now catches,” Ross said. “She has never caught before and I'm proud of the transition she has made in a short amount of time.”
The Orange is back in action next weekend, traveling to Ithaca on Saturday, September 26 for a one-day tournament featuring Binghamton and Cornell.
