Orange Down Hoosiers, Fall to Scarlet Knights

Saturday, February 15

Durham, NC

10 AM

Syracuse University

3-2

Indiana

2-5

Syracuse

Indiana

2/15/2020 8:09:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

DURHAM, N.C. – Syracuse (3-3) earned its first win in program history against Indiana (2-6), 3-2, and lost its second straight contest to Rutgers (5-2), 10-5, Saturday in the second day of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Orange's time in Durham comes to an end tomorrow after one more matchup with the Hoosiers and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, beginning at 10 a.m.

'Cuse and Indiana needed extra frames to decide the morning tilt. Alexa Romero turned in a gem for the Orange, pitching all eight innings and only allowing one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts to move to 3-0. Rebecca Clyde paced the Orange with two hits in the game and Jamie Gregg drove in what was the winning run in the top of the eighth on a fielder's choice.

Seven runs in the bottom of the second for the Scarlet Knights ultimately put the game out of reach for Syracuse in the afternoon contest. Miranda Hearn made her first start of the season and Catie Dobbs made her collegiate debut in the circle. Kaia Oliver also tossed an inning of relief and Gabby Teran led all Orange hitters with a pair of RBIs.

GAME 1 vs. INDIANA (W, 3-2, 8 inn.)
Romero and Hoosier starting pitcher Emily Goodin mowed through the first four innings for their teams, only allowing one hit and walking one batter each. Romero had faced 11 Indiana hitters, striking out five, before letting them into the hit column.

After Jude Padilla worked a walk to begin the top of the fifth inning, sophomore Jessica Skladal entered the game as a pinch runner and stole second base. Toni Martin then stepped into the batter's box and roped a double down the left field line to break the scoreless tie and give the Orange a 1-0 lead. Indiana's first two hitters reached base in the bottom half of the inning and freshman Desiree Dufek's sacrifice fly leveled the score at one headed into the sixth.

For the second time in less than 24 hours, an Orange game needed more than seven innings to be settled. Clyde led off the top of the eighth inning with a single and Paris Woods drove in the go-ahead run with a triple in the right centerfield gap. Gregg hit into a fielder's choice in the next at-bat and a Hoosier throwing error brought Woods across, giving 'Cuse a 3-1 cushion.

Indiana did threaten in the home half of the extra frame and were able to push across a run, but Romero retired the final three batters she faced to seal her and the Orange's third win of the season.

GAME 2 vs. RUTGERS (L, 5-10)
A seven-run bottom of the second inning for Rutgers was the difference, as the Scarlet Knights bested Syracuse for the second time in as many days.

In her first start of the 2020 campaign, Miranda Hearn made it through the first inning unscathed, but surrendered three runs on four hits and was taken out after getting two outs. Freshman Catie Dobbs entered the circle in relief and four more runs came in on a double and a home run, before she retired the side. Hearn was responsible for five of the seven earned runs and finished after an inning and a third.

Alexis Kaiser woke the Orange offense up with a towering solo home run in the top of the third inning, her first of the season. Toni Martin followed that with a double and came in to score after Woods reached on an error and Gregg singled her in. Teran kept the streak going for 'Cuse, driving in Gregg and Woods with a base hit to cut the Rutgers lead to 7-4 after three and a half innings.

The teams stayed off the scoreboard for the next three innings. Dobbs threw for three and a third innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs and striking out two Scarlet Knights. Oliver came into the game in the bottom of the sixth for the Orange and gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits, including a two-run home run to Rutgers sophomore Katie Wingert. She totaled three homers in two against Syracuse.

Clyde came up with an RBI in the top of the seventh after reaching on a Scarlet Knight miscue but Rutgers stifled the Orange comeback attempt, winning 10-5.

NOTEWORTHY

Clyde paced Syracuse with three hits in the two games. She is 6-for-12 during the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and currently leads the Orange with a .368 batting average.
Gregg has driven in a team-leading five runs in the three games. Her, Teran and Kaiser share the 'Cuse lead on the season with five.
Romero's win was her 45^th in her Orange career. She needs three to tie Stacy Kuwik for second in program history. With her second complete game of the season, she is now tied with Kuwik for fifth most by a Syracuse pitcher.

UP NEXT
Syracuse continues the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, with a game tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. against Indiana, followed by a rematch with the Scarlet Knights at 3 p.m. Both games will be available on ACC Network Extra.

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