Orange Face Eagles in Final Homestand
4/29/2016 4:17:00 PM | Softball
Syracuse vs. Boston College (Senior Weekend)
Saturday, Apr. 30 | 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.
Skytop Softball Stadium | Syracuse, N.Y.
Live Stats
Sunday, May 1 | 12 p.m.
Skytop Softball Stadium | Syracuse, N.Y.
Live Stats
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse softball team makes its final home appearance this weekend against Boston College in its last ACC matchup of the regular season. The Orange and the Eagles square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 30 beginning at 1 p.m., before concluding the weekend on Sunday at 12 p.m.Â
A special Senior Day ceremony will be held in between the games on Saturday, celebrating all of the accomplishments the Class of 2016 has had over the past four seasons. This year's senior class includes infielder Corinne Ozanne, pitcher Jocelyn Cater, third baseman Danielle Chitkowski, pitcher Lindsey Larkin, and graduate manager Riley Johnson.
PREVIEWING BOSTON COLLEGE (25-21, 7-8 ACC)
BC travels to Syracuse fresh off of an 8-0 run-rule win against UMass-Lowell this past Thursday. The Orange and the Eagles meet for the 16th time overall, with 'Cuse holding a 10-5 advantage in the series and a 4-2 advantage on the home field. The ACC rivals meet again after the 2014 season, where both teams split in doubleheader action. Last year's series in Chestnut Hill was cancelled due to weather.
Junior Tatiana Cortez ranks third in the ACC in slugging percentage (.775) and is fifth in the conference in doubles (11). Sophomore Allyson Frei is third in the ACC in strikeouts (166), and sophomore Jessica Dreswick's 2.29 ERA ranks fifth in the ACC. Senior Jessie Daulton leads the 2016 Eagles in hits with 53, and also leads the squad in multiple-hit games with 15. She is on a current nine-game hitting streak alongside Cortez.
MIDWEEK RECAP
The Orange are coming off of a doubleheader sweep against in-state rival Siena this past Thursday, taking the first game 9-1 in five innings and coming out on top 8-6 in the second. Home runs powered Syracuse in the first game, as the Orange garnered six of the nine total runs off of four homers, including a three-run homer by freshman Alicia Hansen in the bottom of the fifth that finalized a 9-1 run-rule.
Junior Sydney O'Hara found herself a new spot in the Syracuse record books, registering her fifth save of the season after stepping into the circle in the top of the fifth with the Orange up by two. Her five saves on the season create a new single-season record for the Orange, surpassing former Orange standouts Erin Downey's and Jenna Caira's four saves. Senior Corinne Ozanne finished 2-3 at the plate in the first game, registering her 13th home run of the season that bumped her up to second in Syracuse career RBIs with 136.
THE MIGHTY 'CUSE DEFENSE
The Syracuse pitching brigade posts a third-best in the ACC 2.63 earned run average, with junior Sydney O'Hara leading the pack sitting at the top of the conference standings with a 1.47 ERA. The squad has only allowed opponents 146 runs and 285 hits on the season, the fourth and fifth-best marks in the ACC. The Orange come up big when the pressure is on, racking up an ACC-best eight saves on the season with O'Hara responsible for five of those saves. Syracuse posts the best fielding percentage in the ACC with a .975 average, recording 24 errorless games on the season. Opponents have been found guilty of stealing by the Orange 11 times this season, the fourth-best stat in the ACC.
Syracuse also stands at sixth in the conference in double plays, averaging .39 per game. After 48 games, six Orange hold perfect fielding percentages, with no individual percentage dipping below a .929.
QUICK HITS
- Sophomore Sammy Fernandez's hot hitting streak places her tied for third now in the conference in hits with 56. She is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, producing multiple hits in six of the last eight games, including a four-hit performance in the series finale against NC State.
- For the fourth week in a row, the Orange post the best fielding percentage in the ACC, holding a .975 mark over the course of 48 games.
- Junior Sydney O'Hara leads the conference in earned run average (1.47), saves (5), hits allowed (36), runs allowed (14), and earned runs allowed (13).
- As a unit, Syracuse stands at third in the conference in ERA with a 2.63 average.
- The Orange are 12-4 against competition at home and 5-3 against ACC competition at home.
- Syracuse is 12-3 in games that they garner five or more runs in and 10-1 in games that the Orange produce 2+ home runs in.
- The Orange have registered at least five hits per matchup in the last 18 games.
ON DECK
Syracuse faces its final test of the regular season on Tuesday, May 3, heading down the road to Binghamton for a single nonconference game at 5 p.m.
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