Watson Ties Home Run Mark As SU Splits

Saturday, March 22

Atlanta, GA

2 pm

Syracuse University

12-14, 5-3

Georgia Tech

18-10, 7-8

Georgia Tech

Syracuse

3/22/2014 7:15:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Senior Jasmine Watson hit two homers on the day and is now tied with 38 career homers at Syracuse

Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box | Blog Replay

ATLANTA – Senior Jasmine Watson smashed a home run in each game, tying the Syracuse career mark for home runs, as the Orange split a doubleheader at Georgia Tech on Saturday, March 22.

Watson hit a two-run homer in the first game and a solo homer in the second, matching Alexis Switenko's school record of 38 career bombs. Overall on the day, Watson was 4-for-6 with the two long shots and three runs batted in.

In the first game of the day, Syracuse (15-15, 5-4 ACC) overcame a 4-0 deficit and won 5-4 thanks in part to three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman Nicole Lundstrom hit the game-tying homer and two wild pitches allowed the go-ahead run to score. SU stuck with the Yellow Jackets (19-10, 8-8 ACC) through the first two innings of the second game, but 12 runs in the third and fourth innings gave Georgia Tech a 15-3 win to avoid the sweep and end the Orange's five-game winning streak. SU has still won seven of its last nine.

Watson went 2-for-3 with a two-run blast in the opener and Lundstrom finished 1-for-2 with a homer, two runs batted in and two walks. Sophomore Corinne Ozanne and freshman Alyssa Dewes each had one hit and scored one run.

Freshman Sydney O'Hara (9-5) won her sixth straight decision in the circle, giving up four runs while striking out four and walking none.

Three of the first four Yellow Jackets to bat in the game doubled while the fourth singled, plating three runs in the opening frame. O'Hara settled down though, and struck out the next three to end the inning. She had to pitch her way out of another jam in the second as Georgia Tech loaded the bases with no outs, but she induced a pair of ground outs and an infield fly, stranding all three runners.

The hosts added another run in the top of the third to extend the lead to 4-0 with Karly Fullem scoring on a wild pitch after Chelsie Thomas' double that dropped in on the left field line moved her to third.

Syracuse chipped away at the lead in the bottom half of the inning to cut the deficit to 4-2. Lundstrom walked for the second time and was replaced by Ozanne following a fielder's choice. That brought up Watson who lobbed a two-run homer over the left field fence.

Another three runs in the fifth allowed the Orange tie the game and then take the lead for good. Dewes singled to lead things off and scored two batters later on Lundstrom's game-tying long ball to center. SU used that momentum to push the go-ahead run across thanks to a pair of wild pitches.

Ozanne followed the homer with a single and went to second on the first wild pitch. Freshman Kristina Kinsey replaced Ozanne at second as a pinch runner and Watson's base knock put runners on the corner. Relief pitcher Kylie Kleinschmidt dealt a pitch in the dirt that allowed Kinsey to come home from third and score what turned out to be the game-winner.

O'Hara went on to retire eight straight batters and wouldn't allow another base runner until one out in the sixth – a single by Thomas. She stole second, but O'Hara struck out the next batter to end the frame. After the first two batters of the seventh were retired, Kanani Cabrales reached first on a single to put the tying run aboard. However, Katie Johnsky grounded out to a diving junior Julie Wambold at second who made the out at first to end the game.

Syracuse erased a three-run deficit early in the second game only to see the Yellow Jackets score 12 unanswered runs to pull away for the win.

Watson posted her second multi-hit of the day, hitting a solo homer in the process. Ozanne also went 2-for-3, extending her hitting streak to 11 games, which is tied for the sixth longest in school history. Dewes drove in two with a double and Wambold had a hit and scored a run.

Georgia Tech started off the second game the same way as the first, with three runs on four hits to grab an early lead. With runners on second and third and no outs, Alysha Rudnik drove in the first run on a fielder's choice. Cabrales followed with a sacrifice fly plate another run and Rudnik made her way around the bases to score on RBI single by Fullem.

Just like in the opener, the Orange rallied once again – this time in the second - with three runs to tie the score. Watson led off the inning with a solo shot to left center to get SU on the scoreboard. Walks to Wambold and junior Mary Dombrowski put two on for Dewes, who crushed a double into the left center gap, scoring both to even the contest.

That would be all for SU, though, as Georgia Tech plated four runs in the third and eight more in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Back-to-back fielder's choice groundouts pushed across one run. An RBI single by Thomas followed by a two-run double by Maddie Lionberger made it 7-3.

Syracuse brought up the tying run in the bottom of the frame after loading the bases with no outs, but Kleinschmidt struck out the next batters to end the threat.

Homers by Rudnik (solo) and Ashley Thomas (three-run) highlighted the eight-run inning for the Yellow Jackets, who ended the game after five innings due to the eight-run rule.

Syracuse returns back to campus for its home opener in a three-game series versus nationally-ranked No. 25/24 Notre Dame next weekend. A doubleheader will be played on Saturday, March 29 beginning at 1 p.m. and the finale will be on Sunday, March 30 at 12 p.m.