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At the top of the first inning, Vanessa Flores stepped up to the plate with Syracuse leading 1-0. With two outs Flores had an opportunity to extend SU’s advantage. After searching all season for her first career home run the moment finally arrived. In her 63rd collegiate at bat Flores hammered the ball over the center field wall to put SU up 3-0.

In game two of its series against Pittsburgh (14-29, 5-15 Atlantic Coast Conference), Syracuse (21-19, 5-12 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored nine unanswered runs in the first three innings. The Panthers bats came alive late on, but it was too little too late as the Orange held on for the 12-3 victory.

Despite having the same number of hits as Pitt (10) yesterday, Syracuse came up short against its conference foe. The Panthers rallied from a 3-2 deficit, scoring six runs in a row, to defeat the Orange. SU needed a bounce back victory in game two to take back the 11th and final spot in the ACC tournament.

The day prior, Angel Jasso recorded her second career four-hit game. She stayed hot on Saturday with a leadoff single into center field. Taylor Posner then laced a base hit of her own down the left field line. With base runners on the corners for the Orange, Jasso sprinted home on a fielder’s choice to put SU in front early. Flores extended the lead with her two-run blast that made it 3-0.

Lindsey Hendrix got off to a strong start for the Orange in the circle. She only let up one baserunner in the first, and forced Kat Rodriguez, Kylie Griggs and Amanda Ramirez all into groundouts.

Pittsburgh entered the contest with the worst ERA in the ACC (5.67), and Syracuse took full advantage early on. Makenzie Foster walked to start the second inning, which led Pittsburgh head coach Jenny Allard to bring in Kyra Pittman off the bench.

Madison Knight singled, and a fielding error by the Panthers allowed Foster to reach home to make it 4-0 Syracuse. Rebecca Clyde smacked a single up the middle to put runners again on the corners before Jasso added on with her sixth base hit of the series to make it 5-0.

SU loaded the bases and Breen’s sacrifice fly out sent Clyde home to balloon the lead to six. Laila Morales-Alves kept the hit parade going with a single to the right field gap. A couple of errors on the play gave Jasso and Posner all the time they needed to make it home. In the top of the second, the Orange tallied a total of five runs on six hits and extended their advantage to 8-0.

After another silent inning from Pittsburgh’s offense, the Panthers looked to give themselves some sort of a spark, bringing in another pitcher. Adriana Romano stepped into the circle for the first time since March 27, 2024. But the first batter she faced, Knight, thrashed her second home run of the season to put SU up 9-0. Lopez tripled, but Pittsburgh ended the inning by forcing consecutive ground and fly outs.

Still with no hits compared to the Orange’s 11, the Panthers finally generated a response. Ana Hernandez walked, and Macy Hamilton recorded Pittsburgh’s first hit of the day with a double to center field. Griggs’ bunted, but Syracuse threw her out at first. Looking for the double play, the Orange threw the ball back to home plate but Hernandez slid past Morales-Alves to make it 9-1. Compson then crushed her team-leading 12th home run of 2024 to cut Syracuse’s lead to 9-3.

Morales-Alves singled at the start of the fourth inning, but for the first time in the contest SU was held scoreless in an inning as no other batters mustered a hit. Hendrix responded at the bottom of the frame for Syracuse. In a 10-pitch leadoff at bat she struck out Rachael Fuerst for her first strikeout of the afternoon. KK Esparza singled, but two straight outs kept Pittsburgh’s deficit at six entering the fifth inning.

After a quiet fifth inning from both teams, Syracuse’s offense found its groove again in the sixth. Posner doubled, then ran for home off Flores’ single. Clyde’s two-run homer in the seventh made it 12-3, which proved to be the final score.

Published on April 20, 2024 at 6:51 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu