Softball Splits Opening Day of Bubly Invitational

Friday, February 22

Gainesville, FL

11 am

Syracuse University

3-6

Illinois State

1-10

Syracuse

ILS

Softball Splits Opening Day of Bubly Invitational

2/22/2019 4:55:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Syracuse (3-7) softball team split a pair of games in the opening day of the Bubly Invitational, hosted by Florida on Friday, Feb. 22. The Orange opened the day with a 5-2 victory over Illinois State (1-10) before falling to Florida A&M (1-7), 10-2, in five innings.

Sophie Dandola (2-2) picked up her second win of the season after pitching seven innings for Syracuse against the Redbirds. Dandola allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits while tallying two strikeouts.

Neli Casares-Maher led 'Cuse going 4-of-4 on the day with two runs scored. Gabby Teran finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored and a RBI.

Syracuse returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23 to face No. 3 Florida and a rematch against Florida A&M

GAME 1 VS. ILLINOIS STATE
Both teams made stellar defensive efforts through the first two innings, before Teran drew a two-out walk in the third before stealing second base. Alicia Hansen laid down a perfectly placed bunt single. Hansen got caught in a run down between first and second, but stalled the out long enough to allow Teran to score and take a 1-0 lead for Syracuse.

Illinois State manufactured a run in the fourth inning following a leadoff walk and an RBI double that tied the game, 1-1.

A big fifth inning put the Orange ahead 4-1. Casares-Maher led off the inning with a single before Taylor Lane entered as a pinch runner. Lailoni Mayfield put down a sac bunt, advancing Lane to second. A wild pitch and bunt single from Toni Martin allowed Lane to cross home plate. The Orange ended the inning with three more hits, scoring two more runs. The Orange added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after Holmgren drew a bases-loaded walk.

After tacking on a run in the sixth, Illinois State began to chip away at Syracuse's lead in the seventh. The Redbirds took a lead-off walk before Andrea Coursey reached on a fielders' choice, but all runners remained safe after a throwing error by Mayfield. A single to left center scored a run, but Dandola was able to retire the final two batters to clinch the win.

GAME 2 VS. FLORIDA A&M
Florida A&M came out firing in the first inning with a lead-off triple that scored on a single on batter later. A sac fly plated the Rattlers second run of the inning before Florida A&M added two more in the second inning for a 4-0 lead.

Syracuse used back-to-back doubles from Casares-Maher and Dossett to put runners on second and third. Casares-Maher scored on a wild pitch before a single from Martin brought Dossett's run in, cutting Florida A&M's lead to 4-2.

After a quiet two innings, the Rattlers had a big fifth frame, scoring six runs on three hits. Florida A&M was patient at the plate where they drew three walks, all of whom scored. The big inning gave the Rattlers a 10-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth where 'Cuse was unable to put up any runs to keep the game alive.