Power, Pitching Sends SU Past Elon, 5-0

Tuesday, March 11

Elon, NC

5:30 pm

Syracuse University

6-13

Elon

15-6-1

Syracuse

Elon

3/11/2014 8:57:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Sydney O'Hara Tosses Third Shutout Of The Season

Box Score | Blog Replay

ELON, N.C. – Freshman pitcher Sydney O'Hara threw a complete-game, six-hit shutout and the Orange bats provided three home runs as Syracuse topped Elon 5-0 in a non-conference clash at Hunt Field on Tuesday, March 11.

With the win, Syracuse (6-13, 0-3 ACC) snapped a seven-game skid while handing Elon (15-6-1) its first loss in the last eight contests.

O'Hara struck out 10 batters in the victory and walked just one, marking the third time she reached the double-digit plateau in just six starts this season. She is just one of four pitchers in school history to throw three shutouts with at least 10 strikeouts in a game in a single season. Entering the day, O'Hara led the ACC with 8.61 strikeouts per seven innings and upped that total to 8.85.

Sophomores Corinne Ozanne and Danielle Chitkowski and senior Shirley Daniels all homered for SU, accounting for all five of the runs. Ozanne's was a three-run blast. Freshman Nicole Lundstrom recorded her eighth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 with a run.

Syracuse sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run, fourth inning to break a scoreless tie. With one out, a single by Lundstrom and walk to junior Julie Wambold placed runners on first and second. Following another out, Ozanne unloaded with a three-run bomb to center to put SU ahead 3-0. Chitkowski made it back-to-back jacks three pitches later, giving the Orange a 4-0 lead.

O'Hara and junior Mary Dombrowski looked to keep the inning rolling with singles, but relief pitcher Caitlin O'Shea retired the next batter to get out of the inning and leave two runners on base.

After leaving two runners on base in the third, Elon was back at it again in the fifth with two aboard and two outs, but O'Hara got the next batter to ground out to third and end the inning. O'Hara wouldn't be in another jam until the final inning after SU extended its lead to 5-0 on Daniels' solo shot in the top half. One out away from victory, O'Hara allowed a walk and a hit before retiring the last batter to close out the complete game.

SU continues its North Carolina excursion at Campbell on Wednesday, March 12 at 5 p.m. The doubleheader originally scheduled for Thursday, March 13 against Appalachian State will now be a single game on Friday, March 14.