Orange Ready for Liberty Softball Classic

Game Details: Friday, Feb. 20-Sunday, Feb. 22; Lynchburg, Virginia; Liberty Softball Stadium
Live Video: Game 2 | Game 4
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5
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LYNCHBURG, Va.– The Orange softball team is set to play at the Liberty Softball Classic from Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22.

The Orange start off the tournament at 11 a.m. against Toledo on Friday, Feb. 20, followed by a 3:30 p.m. first pitch against Liberty. 'Cuse will play two games on Saturday, Feb. 21, taking on Toledo at 2:30 p.m. and challenging Liberty at 4:30 p.m. The Orange round out the weekend at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, against Toledo.

ORANGE UPDATE:
Syracuse went 1-2 at the Bevo Classic after a 2-1 win over Abilene Christian and losses to No. 2 Texas and Ohio State. Kiara Bellido recorded a double in the first plate appearance of her career against Abilene Christian. Bellido's hit advanced Lauren Fox to third base, who would eventually score to give the Orange a 2-1 win. Jadyn Burney had her second multi-hit game of the season, tallying two hits against Ohio State.

Bellido made her first appearance of her career this past weekend, playing in two contests. Kayla Sigala and Erika Zamora made their first starts of the season, with Sigala playing as a designated hitter in the fifth spot in the batting lineup and Zamora stepping in at shortstop. Freshman Kaylee Eubanks made her collegiate debut against Ohio State, starting at third base.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Syracuse's first matchup in Virginia will be the third, fourth and fifth meetings with Toledo. Their last matchup was in 2017, when the Orange won 5-0, evening the overall record to 1-1. The Rockets started their season off going winless at the Kajikawa Classic in opening weekend. Toledo tallied its first win at the Longwood Classic against host Longwood to enter the third weekend of the season with a 1-7 record. Last season, Toledo finished its season with a 19-28 overall record and a 12-14 conference record. The Rockets finished in seventh in the MAC but did not qualify for the conference tournament.

The Liberty Classic will be the second and third matchup between Syracuse and Liberty. Syracuse lost 3-1 in its last meeting in 2017. Liberty was previously ranked No. 21 in the NFCA/GoRout preseason poll and No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll. After a 0-6 start at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic and a game against No. 5 Florida State, the Flames fell out of both polls. Liberty captured two wins last weekend at the Bama Bash, now holding a 2-8 record. Last year, Liberty finished its season with a 50-15 record and a 23-3 conference record. The Flames won the Conference USA Championship, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Liberty fell in the Super Regionals to No. 16 seed Oregon to end its season.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Toledo at 11 a.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Liberty at 3:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Toledo at 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Liberty at 4:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 22: vs. Toledo at 10 a.m. ET

UP NEXT:
Following the Liberty Softball Classic, the Orange will head to College Park, Maryland, for the Terrapin Invitational hosted by Maryland. The tournament is set to run from Friday Feb. 27 to Sunday March 1, at the Maryland Softball Complex, where Syracuse will face Fairfield, Maryland, UMBC and Providence in its fourth tournament of the season.

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