Syracuse rally falls short in softball home-opener loss to Louisville
Syracuse Rally Falls Short in Home-Opener Loss to Louisville
Syracuse, NY — The Syracuse Orange finally returned to Skytop Softball Stadium after playing their first 26 games on the road. However, the warm weather and home crowd weren’t enough to help them secure the win, as SU fell to the Louisville Cardinals 5-3.
Lindsey Hendrix got the start for the Orange, with the junior striking out Louisville leadoff hitter Korbe Otis to kick off a 1-2-3 top of the 1st. The Orange were also set down in order in the bottom half.
Hendrix ran into trouble in the 2nd, with Taylor Roby smoking a leadoff double down the left field line. Then with runners at first and second, Easton Lotus grounded one past the mound to shortstop Kelly Breen, who flipped the ball toward 2B Trinity Nichols. However, Nichols couldn’t hang on as the ball bounced past her, allowing a run to score.
Then in the third, Hendrix gave up a leadoff single to Korbe Otis, who promptly stole 2nd. Sarah Gordon brought her home with a hit up the middle that ricocheted off the 2nd base bag.
Later in the inning, Hendrix recovered to escape a bases-loaded jab by having Lotus line out to left field.
Absolutely Electric ⚡️
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— Syracuse Softball (@CuseSB) April 1, 2023
The Cardinals couldn’t plate another run in the 4th, but they made up for it in the 5th. Roby demolished a pitch, launching her 13th home run of the season. The Louisville bats also launched a mini two-out rally started by Mikaya Hurst. Pinch runner Pickle Winkler stole second, then rushed home on another single.
Meanwhile, Roby was also dominating the Orange on the other side. She didn’t allow a hit until the fourth when Madelyn Lopez tripled down the right-field line. However, she was cut down at home trying to score on the next play, thanks to a strong throw from Cards’ 1B Hannah File.
The Orange finally got on the board in the bottom of the 5th. Back-to-back singles by Tessa Galipeau and Nichols and a sac bunt by Laila Alves set up Rebecca Clyde with two runners in the scoring position. Right on cue, she copped a pitch up the middle to bring both home.
Clyde then went to advance on the throw home, and she would have been out if Gordon’s throw was accurate. It wasn’t.
Instead, the Cardinals’ catcher air-mailed the throw into center, where no one adequately backed it up. Clyde hustled home for the Little League HR as it rolled to the wall. That was all the offense SU could generate as the bats fell silent in the final two innings. The Cardinals scored their 5th and last run of the morning on an error by Breen. The Orange were back at it again just half-an-hour later.
is a broadcast and digital journalism major from Scranton, Penn., and contributor for The NewsHouse.
