Syracuse softball struggles against the Seminoles, dropping third and fourth straight games

Syracuse dropped both games in its second doubleheader of the weekend against the Florida State Seminoles, 3-2 and 13-1, on Sunday. The Orange defense kept FSU from getting runs in the first four innings. The scoring game started in the fifth inning and ended in a tense extra-innings game.

In the first inning, Geana Torres got the first out after catching a foul ball. Then, a strikeout from Alexa Romero brought the second out, and a ground ball to second base brought the third one on first base. The batting game for Syracuse started with a strikeout on Paris Woods and the second out came quickly after a ground ball from Gabby Teran. Lailoni Mayfield saw the third out for Syracuse’s first at-bat.

The second inning started with a fly ball out on first base from Calista Almer. Two Seminoles arrived at base after a hit from FSU. A soft hit from the Seminoles and a skilled catch from Teran on second base gave the second out to SU. The third out came on a euphoric strikeout from Romero. A fly ball from Toni Martin and a soft hit from Angel Jasso gave the first and second outs to Florida State at the bottom of the inning.

An infield catch by Neli Casares-Maher started the third inning with the first out. A line drive to Teran and a throw to Casares-Maher on second base led to a double-play by ‘Cuse, handing them the second and third outs of the top of the inning. The bottom of the inning started with an out on Almer, but a hit from Woods started the base game for the Orange. A fly ball from Teran gave the second out for FSU and an attempt to steal second base from Woods finished the inning with the third out.

In the fourth inning, a catch in right field from Jasso got the first out for Syracuse. The pitching change from Romero to Lindsey Hendrix brought the second out for SU on a strikeout. A fly ball and a catch from Jasso closed the top of the inning with the third out. The bottom of the inning started with a quick strikeout on Mayfield, followed by two outs on ground balls that closed the inning.

The first and second outs for ‘Cuse came after fly balls to right and left field that opened the fifth inning. A soft hit from Florida State and a catch from Teran closed the top of the inning with the third out. In the bottom of the inning, Jasso gave the Orange the first run of the game with a solo home run. The first out came after a ground ball at second base, and a fly ball to the infield brought the second one. At the end, a strikeout on Woods closed the bottom of the inning.

FSU started the top of the sixth inning with a home run through right field to tie the game 1-1. Syracuse responded with the first out of the inning. Two ground balls in the infield gave SU two consecutive outs. The Seminoles started the bottom of the inning with an out on Teran, followed by an error on third base from Florida State that started the base game for ‘Cuse. A hit from Martin pushed the score to 2-1, but an attempt to steal third base got the second and third out for FSU to close the inning.

A ground ball to first base started the seventh inning with the first out for the Orange. The second out came on a strikeout from Hendrix, but a hit from Florida State kept its chances alive. After Syracuse’s second pitching change of the game from Hendrix to Kaia Oliver, a hit through first base tied the game at two. In the bottom of the inning, the first and second outs came very quickly with ground balls to the infield from Syracuse. A strikeout on Almer ended the inning and kept FSU’s chances alive.

The eighth inning started with an out on first base, but a defensive error from Teran on second base gave the lead to the Seminoles, 3-2. SU tried to come back and score, but that wasn’t the case. The inning ended with an out on first base from Florida State to win the game 3-2.

In the teams’ second matchup of the day, the Seminoles dominated the Orange in five innings, topping SU 13-1.

Syracuse’s next opponent is Virginia, as it will visit the Cavaliers for a four-game road trip that runs from Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25.