Syracuse University
St. John's
Syracuse Sweeps St. John's
4/7/2010 8:38:20 PM | Softball
Syracuse 3, St. John's 2
Syracuse 6, St. John's 2
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse (17-15, 3-2) continued to thrive with its home field advantage, sweeping St. John's (13-18, 2-3) on Wednesday afternoon at the SU Softball Stadium. The Orange earned a 3-2 comeback win in game one before cruising to a 6-2 victory in the second game to stay a perfect 4-0 at home this season.
Freshman Stacy Kuwik led the Orange both at the plate and in the circle. Kuwik hit .667 (2-for-3) with an RBI through the two games and earned the win in game two. The Fairport, N.Y. native improved to 4-5 on the season, allowing one earned run while walking only one and striking out five in 7.0 innings.
Rookie Veronica Grant hit .500 (2-for-4) with three runs scored, a game-best four RBI, her second home run of the season and four stolen bases through the two games. Classmate Meghan Boston batted .400 (2-for-5) with a pair of runs scored and cranked her first career home run over the right field fence in game two.
Sophomores Lisaira Daniels and Lacey Kohl and junior Hallie Gibbs all hit .250 in the doubleheader. Daniels was 2-for-8 with a triple, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base while Kohl and Gibbs were both 1-for-4. Sophomore Kelly Saco also registered a hit for the Orange, batting .200 (1-for-5) with a pair of runs scored.
Sophomore Jenna Caira earned the game one victory, allowing a pair of earned runs while walking only one and striking out 12 in 7.0 innings.
The Red Storm got off to a quick start, scoring a run off of two hits in the top of the first and increased its lead, 2-0, with another run off a pair of hits in the top of the second.
Syracuse halved the deficit in the bottom of the third as Daniels led off the inning with a single up the middle and stole second. Kohl sent a one-out single to centerfield and a two-out infield single by Kuwik scored Daniels, 2-1.
The Orange sealed the come-from-behind victory with a pair of runs off of two hits and an error in the bottom of the sixth. Saco reached on error by the second baseman and advanced to second on the play. A sacrifice bunt by Boston moved Saco to third and Grant singled up the middle, tying the game, 2-2. Syracuse put the game away as Daniels tripled to right center, scoring Grant to produce the final, 3-2.
The hosts carried their momentum into game two, taking a two-run lead in the bottom of the first as St. John's struggled to find its rhythm. Grant was hit by a pitch and stole second. Helman drew a walk and the Orange executed a perfect double steal to put both she and Grant in scoring position. Gibbs drew a walk to load the bases before Kohl walked in a run, 1-0. Caira drove in the second run on the inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center that scored Helman, 2-0.
Boston increased the Orange advantage with her first career home run over the right field fence to make it 3-0 in the bottom of the second.
St. John's got a run back in the top of the fourth, scoring a run off of two hits and an error to make it, 3-1, but the Orange responded breaking the game open with three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Back-to-back one-out singles by Saco and Boston put two on board for Grant who cleared the bases with her second homer of the season, 6-1.
St. John's scored a run off of a hit in the top of the fifth, but couldn't come close to the Orange as it closed out an easy 6-2 win.
Syracuse finishes its five-game home stand when it hosts Providence in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 10 at 12 p.m.
