Syracuse Wraps Up Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

Sunday, February 23

Cathedral City, Calif.

2:30 pm EST

Syracuse University

4-5

Stanford

14-2

Stanford

Syracuse

Syracuse Wraps Up Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

2/23/2014 10:16:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Jasmine Watson Goes 5-for-7 With A Home Run And 4 RBI On Final Day

Stanford Box Score | Stanford Blog Replay | LBSU Box Score | LBSU Blog Replay

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The Syracuse softball team held a lead entering the final inning in both of its games on Sunday, Feb. 23, but couldn't hang on as the Orange went 0-2 on the final day at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

SU (4-6) was ahead of No. 13/11 Stanford (14-2) 5-2 going into the seventh inning, but the Cardinal scored three times in the top half and added six more in the eighth to steal the win. In a short turnaround, the Orange was ahead of Long Beach State (9-6) by one with three outs to go, but the 49ers won on a walk-off double, 7-6.

"We fought hard today. I think we made big strides as a team," said head coach Leigh Ross. "Everyone was in there battling. Sometimes it doesn't go our way, sometimes things happen. But we played those games the right way. A couple of balls going one way or the other and its out game."

In the first game of the day, senior Jasmine Watson was 3-for-4 with a three-run blast and a double. Five other Orange women had base knocks, including freshman Ellie Forkin who drove in one run on a single. Starting pitcher, freshman Christina Clermont lasted five innings and gave up just two runs on eight hits.

Both teams got off to a fast start in the game with each putting runs on the scoreboard in the first inning with two outs.

Stanford struck first, getting a run-scoring double from Kayla Bonstrom on a bloop hit that landed just inside of the left field line. In the bottom of the inning, Watson gave the Orange a 3-1 lead on a three-run bomb to left center field.

The Cardinal got one run back in the third on a similar play that scored the first run of the game. After a walk and ground-rule double, Bessie Noll hit a single that landed in the same spot on the left field line as a run came around to score and make it 3-2.

Runs in the fourth and fifth inning gave the Orange some breathing room and a 5-2 edge. Forkin drove in freshman Nicole Lundstrom in the fourth, and a frame later senior Shirley Daniels touched home on junior Julie Wambold's single.

Three scores by Stanford in the top of the seventh tied the contest and sent the game into extras. Following a leadoff walk and single, Kyleiss Sorenson doubled in two runs to cut the lead to 5-4. She eventually scored two batters later on an errant throw after a sacrifice bunt.

Stanford exploded for six runs in the extra inning to put the game away. The first three batters for all hit singles, the last two both driving in the runner from second base. A walk loaded the bases and a sacrifice fly brought in another run to make it 8-5. Three more runs came in to score on a home run by Cassandra Roulund, making the final tally.

It was much of the same story in the second game with the Orange jumping out to a three run lead before surrendering it in the end.

Seven of Syracuse's starting nine recorded at least one hit and Daniels, Watson and Lundstrom all posted multi-game hits for Syracuse, with the latter two also driving in one run apiece. Daniels finished with a double and two stolen bases.

Clermont started once again and sophomore Lindsey Larkin came on in relief. Larkin went 3.1 innings and didn't allow a run until the last inning.

SU put up three runs in the first on Watson's hit by a pitch, Lundstrom's single and sophomore Danielle Chitkowski's sacrifice fly. Long Beach State answered with two runs of its own with back-to-back, no-out hits to make it 3-2 after one inning.

The two teams traded runs in the third and the 49ers added two runs to the Orange's one in the fourth to even the score at 5-5. Forkin hit an RBI single to right in the top half, but a homer by Ashley Holmes negated the SU run. Freshman Sydney O'Hara led off the fourth with a double and came in to score on Wambold's sacrifice fly to push the lead back to two. However, a two-run shot by Darian Tautalafua tied things up.

Just like two innings before, Syracuse started off the inning with a double, this time by Daniels. Following a walk to Wambold, both runners successfully attempted a double-steal and Daniels was able to score on an overthrow to third.

The score stayed that way until the seventh. With two away and the tying run on third, Holmes' infield single scored the runner to even the game. After another single put Holmes in scoring position, Sarah Carrasco hit a two-bagger to the right center gap for the walk-off win.

"They (Long Beach State) got the big hit in the end and sometimes that happens," added Ross. "It was a tough game – two tough games today. But our team did a great job staying mentally focused and every at bat was hard fought."

Syracuse continues its road swing with five more games from Friday, Feb. 28 through Sunday, March 2 in the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports.