Syracuse softball sweeps BC in first conference win
SU softball sweeps Boston College
In the second to last series of the season, Syracuse gets its first conference win to keep ACC Tournament hopes alive.
Game 1
Syracuse softball pitcher Madison Knight sat by herself while her team waited through a two-and-a-half hour rain delay. The righty knew she had to be locked-in for her team’s game against Boston College Friday evening. Going into the series, both teams were on the outside of the ACC Tournament field.
“I was zoning in, not getting too high, not getting too low. I like to keep myself in a steady pace,” Knight said.”
Despite the long delay, Knight pitched her second straight complete game in the Orange’s 7-1 win. She struck out eight batters, the most against an ACC opponent this season.
“Today was fun. Up at-bat I was having fun. I was smiling pitching, I never smile when I’m on the mound,” Knight said.
Not only did Knight pitch a dominate game in the Orange’s third straight win, she also performed at the plate.
With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the second, Knight led off the inning with a home run over the left field wall. It was her team-leading fourth home run of the season. Knight finished the game 3-3 with two RBI’s.
Syracuse scored three more runs in the inning, capped off with a two-run home run from Madelyn Lopez, who finished the game 2-4 and scored three runs.
The Orange finished with 12 hits in the game, most in ACC play this season.
“I thought we were aggressive today,” Syracuse head coach Shannon Doepking said. “I thought we swung the bats early. When we make good decisions, when we’re on time, good things tend to happen.”
Boston College managed just four hits on the day, two of which were quickly erased thanks to two double plays from the Orange infield.
“We’ve been really one-dimensional in that regard (fielding), we tend to field the ball go to one,” Doepking said. “The difference of dynamics of a runner on second in scoring position versus first base. It’s just playing the game a little faster.
Game 2 & 3
As softball season comes to a close, Syracuse found a way to come back into the spotlight. The Orange won all three games against Boston College this past weekend, including a 16-2 mercy on Saturday. Runs were scored, the vibes were high, and Head Coach Shannon Doepking has embraced every moment of the team’s new culture.
“They are crazy,” Doepking stated. “You are getting Kaimi [Tulua] and Kayla [Sigala], which are two freshmen, setting the tone for the entire team. They are the wild ones, they kind of bring the energy. They start the energy. They start the hype. I think that it is really really good. In most things, if you can have a really good dugout, it means that things are probably going really well for you.”
Saturday’s contest only lasted four and a half innings due to the ten run mercy rule. The Orange blasted two homers; one was for three runs, the other was a grand slam by Taylor Posner. On the pitching side, Madison Knight went for four innings. Her two earned runs came in the fourth inning, and Julianna Verni replaced her to finish the game.
The Junior pitched only one inning, which earned her the start for Sunday’s game. Knight also started on Sunday, but at first base.
To kick off the scoring, Madelyn Lopez laced a double to right field to bring in a run in the bottom of the third. The next batter, Tulua, hit a single to bring in another. Lopez tried advancing from second to home, but the throw beat her to the plate. She was tagged out between third and home, but the scoring did not stop there. Vanessa Flores singled to right field which allowed Jadyn Burney to score from second.
Pitching was not an issue, as Verni went the full seven innings. Even though she pitched an inning the day before, Verni finished with a solid line. She gave up seven hits and a run, but she did not give up any walks, and struck out five batters.
SU rounded out its scoring in the bottom of the fifth, when Burney reached first base on an error. The ball trickled out of play, which allowed her to advance to second, and Madelyn Lopez to score. Burney would later get sent home when Vanessa Flores doubled into center field. Syracuse came out on top 5-1, and Shannon Doepking was proud of her team’s success, but more excited to close out the season next weekend against Cal.
“The goal is to get to the ACC tournament,” she said. “We know Cal is going to be gritty. They are a scrappy team. They are really really talented. So we know it is going to be a dogfight, but again, I am glad that we have the opportunity to control our destiny, and it was not taken from us this weekend.”