Orange Avenge Scarlet Knights, Lose to Islanders

Friday, February 28

Tampa, FL

9 AM

Syracuse University

6-7

Rutgers

6-9

Syracuse

Rutgers

Orange Avenge Scarlet Knights, Lose to Islanders

2/28/2020 4:50:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

TAMPA, FLA. – Syracuse (6-8) left USF Softball stadium on Friday with a win and a loss. The Orange avenged their two losses to Rutgers (6-9) with a 6-1 victory in the morning and lost their first ever meeting with Texas A&M Corpus Christi (5-9), 7-3.

Neli Casares-Maher paced the 'Cuse offensive attack, going 3-for-6 at the plate with a walk and adding a run batted-in in both contests. Gabby Teran and Mia Cunnings each recorded a pair of hits against the Scarlet Knights, including a solo home-run for Teran, who had two RBIs in the win.

Catie Dobbs earned her first collegiate win in the circle versus Rutgers, pitching a complete game and striking out six Scarlet Knights without allowing an earned run.

GAME 1 vs. RUTGERS (W, 6-1)
Teran's team-leading third home run of the season in the top of the first inning gave the Orange a quick 1-0 lead. She then took a walk and stole second base in the top of the third, and Casares-Maher brought her in with a two-out base hit to extend the advantage to 2-0.

Rutgers cut its deficit in half in the bottom half of the third inning, scoring a run as a result of two hits and a 'Cuse error. Graduate student Kiana Workman started the frame with a double after a dropped foul ball by the Orange and freshman Taylor Fawcett drove her in with an infield single.

Four hits, including three doubles, for Syracuse in the top of the fourth inning scored three runs to give the Orange a 5-1 cushion. Cunnings led things off with a two-bagger, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from Toni Martin and Paris Woods, and Teran brought Woods across with a sharp single to left field for her second RBI of the morning. That was the last of the offense as the Orange cruised to the 6-1 victory.

GAME 2 vs. TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI
Corpus Christi jumped ahead in the top of the second inning, as sophomore Ashleigh Sgambelluri scored from first base on an Orange throwing error trying to get her out at second base. Freshman Gabriella Torres put the ball in play and was credited with the run batted-in.

The Islanders added three runs in the visiting half of the third, two of which came from a two-run home run off the bat of Sydney Hoyt. After giving up the homer and allowing runners to reach first and second, Alexa Romero replaced Kaia Oliver in the circle. The Islanders worked two walks off Romero to bring in another run and they led, 4-0, after two and a half innings.

Syracuse retaliated in the bottom of the frame with three tallies of its own to cut the advantage to one. After Martin led off the inning by getting hit with a pitch, Woods reached on a fielder's choice and the Orange had runners on second and third with nobody out. A bloop single into right field by Jamie Gregg scored Martin and Woods came home on an error from the Corpus Christi catcher. Casares-Maher roped a double down the left field line to score Gregg for her second RBI of the day.

The Islanders quickly put runners on the corners in the top of the fourth inning and a single from freshman Haley Morse put them back on top by two. Morse broke the game open in her next at bat in the fifth with a two-run double to center field to give her team a 7-3 cushion.

Oliver was handed the loss for the Orange. Romero pitched five innings in relief and struck out 10 opponents.

UP NEXT
'Cuse plays South Florida tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. and then awaits its next opponent and game time as part of the USF Tournament based its record and seed for the first three games.

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