Orange Kick Off ACC Play in Chapel Hill

Syracuse vs. North Carolina (Doubleheader)
Saturday, Mar. 12 | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.
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Syracuse vs. North Carolina
Sunday, Mar. 13 | 1 p.m.
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse softball team kicks off ACC play this this weekend down in Chapel Hill, N.C., taking on North Carolina in a two-day, three-game series.

The Orange and the Tar Heels face off in doubleheader action on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. On Sunday, the two teams match up again for a final game with a 1 p.m. start time.

WEEKEND RECAP
Syracuse is coming off of a split weekend at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, finishing with a 2-2 record while picking up two shutout wins against CSU Bakersfield 6-0 and UC Davis 1-0. The Orange nearly upset No. 13 UCLA, coming up just short 3-2 off of a Bruin RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning. The weekend puts the Orange at an 8-9 overall record thus far on the 2016 season.

PREVIEWING NORTH CAROLINA
The Orange and the Tar Heels kick off ACC play this weekend, meeting for the fifth time overall. UNC holds a 3-1 advantage in the series over 'Cuse, with the last meeting taking place in a split doubleheader last season. The Orange took the first game 4-2 but fell 6-2 in the second.

The Tar Heels are off to a 10-10 start on the season and finished last weekend at the Judi Garman Classic on a 1-4 note. UNC posted a win against RV Long Beach State while falling to No. 2 Michigan 11-6, RV California 8-0, RV Oregon State 5-2, and Cal State Fullerton 6-5.

Kristen Brown leads the Tar Heels and the ACC in home runs and is tied for first in the conference in RBI, racking up 26 RBI and nine home runs so far on the season. She posts a .392 batting average with 20 hits off of 51 at bats.

Pitcher Kendra Lynch is tied for fourth in the conference in wins with seven, and ranks first in the ACC in innings pitched (81.0).

NOTABLES
- Sophomore Sammy Fernandez found success at the plate over the weekend, finishing with five hits off of 14 at bats, including her first triple of the season against CSU Northridge. She registered at least one hit in each of the four games last weekend, placing her on a four-game hitting streak.
- Junior Alyssa Dewes also found consistent success at the plate, ending the weekend with a .375 batting average, registering three hits out of her eight times at the plate.
- Senior Corinne Ozanne and freshman Andrea Bombace tallied two home runs each over the span of four games, with Bombace's home run coming in the top of the seventh inning against No. 13 UCLA to knot the game up at two. Bombace's home runs accounted for her two hits over the weekend, while Ozanne homered two times out of her three total hits.
- Ozanne's home run against No. 13 UCLA marked her third home run thus far on the 2016 season and her 39th career home run, now placing her at No. 2 on the all-time career home runs list at Syracuse, passing Alexis Switenko.
- Senior Jocelyn Cater was responsible in the circle for the two shutout games against CSU Bakersfield and UC Davis, going 2-0 on the weekend while accumulating 12 strikeouts. She allowed just five hits over the course of two games, and walked only one runner.
- On the defensive end, the Syracuse pitching brigade posts a third-best 2.34 earned run average in the ACC, with junior Sydney O'Hara leading the pack sitting atop of the conference standings with a 1.38 ERA.
- The squad has only allowed opponents 99 hits so far on the season, posting the best mark in the ACC right in front of No. 11 Florida State.
- The Orange currently stand fourth in the ACC with a .964 fielding percentage and a 0.35 average on double plays per game, the fifth-best in the conference.

UP NEXT
'Cuse continues down the road in a three-game non-conference swing, taking on Savannah State in a doubleheader contest starting at 2 p.m. in Savannah, Ga. The Orange are back at it again the next day in Charleston, S.C. matching up against Charleston Southern at 3 p.m.

For all of the latest information on Syracuse softball, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange & Syracuse Softball), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseSB), and Instagram (@cusepics & @cusesb).

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Players Mentioned

Andrea Bombace

Jocelyn Cater

Alyssa Dewes

Sammy Fernandez

Sydney O'Hara

Corinne Ozanne

Syracuse University Athletics