Syracuse beats Iowa 11-4 in final game of Big 10/ACC Challenge
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Madison Knight lined a single to right field, scoring the game’s first two runs. Then, Kelly Breen stepped up to the plate with two more runners on base and cracked a three-run home run off Iowa pitcher Devyn Greer, highlighting a massive third inning for Syracuse.
That was all the offense SU (3-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) would need in its 11-4 win over Iowa (6-3, 0-0 Big 10), but it wasn’t the last of the scoring. The Orange tallied seven runs on six hits in the third inning, their most runs scored in a single frame this season. Knight earned her third win of the year in the circle, tossing four innings of two-run ball with one strikeout.
The Hawkeyes threatened in the top of the first inning when their first two batters, Nia Carter and Tatianna Roman, reached base. But Knight retired the next three batters, striking out Grace Banes to get Syracuse out of a jam. The Orange had runners on base in both the first and second frames, but did not score.
A pair of first-time starters also left their mark in the same third. Madelyn Lopez singled to start another rally and came around to score on a single by Olivia Pess, giving SU a 6-0 lead.
The Orange would strike one more time when Kate Dorazio raced home on a passed ball. When the dust settled, a total of 12 batters came to the plate in a seven-run inning for Syracuse.
Sammy Diaz’s two-run homer in the top of the fourth got Iowa on the board. The Hawkeyes threatened to score again with runners on the corners and one out. Skylinn Pogue was picked off between first and second, and then Knight got Echo Mattiello to pop out, escaping another jam.
SU quickly responded with another run in the bottom of the fourth. Breen reached base for the second straight inning, this time on an error. With two outs and Breen on third, Tessa Galipeau singled up the middle, scored the runner and extended Syracuse’s lead back to seven.
Diaz struck again for Iowa, this time a two-run single in the top of the fifth. The junior was the only source of offense for the Hawkeyes on Sunday morning, finishing with all four of her team’s RBIs.
Breen capped off a stellar day at the plate by knocking in three more runs on a single in the bottom of the sixth. The sophomore finished with two hits and racked up a career-high six RBIs.
Jackie Pengel entered in relief and turned in three innings, allowing two runs in her second appearance. The freshman secured the final out to give the Orange their first win of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Next weekend, SU will travel to Charleston, South Carolina, to participate in the Low Country Classic. The Orange open with a doubleheader on Friday, facing off against Robert Morris at 12:30 p.m. and the College of Charleston at 5:30 p.m.
