Syracuse softball’s historic season ends in ACC Tournament loss to Virginia Tech

Syracuse softball’s Tessa Galipeau stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh inning against the No. 2 Virginia Tech Hokies knowing that she had to get on base if she wanted her team’s season to continue.

But like nine Orange players before her, Galipeau struck out on a rise ball by the two-time and reigning ACC pitcher of the year Keely Rochard.

The Orange had both an up and down trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the 2022 ACC Softball Tournament. On Wednesday, the Orange leaned on pitcher Ariana Adams‘ six innings of one-hit ball and prevailed over the Louisville Cardinals 2-0. Adams carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

“Obviously, we’re really excited,” Syracuse coach Shannon Doepking said. “We’ve never won a game in the ACC Championship, so that was one of our goals coming into the season to be the first team to win in this tournament. I think it was a really gusty performance, we made the plays when we needed to and had timely hitting.”

The long ball carried the Orange during the ACC Tournament, as the two runs Syracuse plated in the matchup against Louisville were on an Angel Jasso homer to straightaway centerfield.

The one run SU scored in their 2-1 loss to the Hokies was on a Neli Casares-Maher homer in the first inning.

“My mindset was to go up there hacking,” Jasso said. “I knew her pitches weren’t moving as much as they were when we played them earlier this season, so I wanted to capitalize on that.”

Syracuse opened a one-run lead against the Hokies to start ACC quarterfinals play. SU pitcher Lindsey Hendrix dealt through two innings but gave up two hits and a walk in the bottom of the third which led to the Hokies plating their first run of the day.

The scored run was the most controversial play of the day as Jasso fired a bullet from left field into catcher Laila Alves. Alves slapped the tag on the VT runner, but the home plate umpire declared the tag too late and the run scored. Doepking used her challenge on the play, but the replay official did not overturn the call and the run stood.

Adams relieved Hendrix and escaped the inning but only after the Hokies tied the game. Virginia Tech put the final nail in the Orange coffin when the second batter of the fourth inning launched an Adams pitch over the right-center field fence just out of the reach of Jasso.

Syracuse left ten runners on base in the loss. The Orange fell one run short of beating the No. 2 team in the country and shaking up the college softball world.

“All in all, it was a really complete game and I’m really proud of our team,” Doepking said after Syracuse’s first win in the ACC Tournament.