Syracuse blows out Lafayette twice in doubleheader
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Rebecca Clyde started the second inning off with a base hit down the right-field line, followed by a Ryan Starr infield single. Up 1-0, down just one out and with the top of the order due, Syracuse had a pristine chance to make noise early.
First Baseman Tessa Galipeau drove in Clyde after pulling a single into right, advancing Starr to third. Kelly Breen was next at-bat, and wasted no time by drilling a two-run triple into right-center field. Angel Jasso continued the onslaught by singling home Breen, increasing the Orange’s lead to 5-0. Madison Knight hit a single the very next at-bat but Syracuse couldn’t plate anymore runs in the second.
Syracuse’s (16-22-1, 4-12-1 Atlantic Coast) six consecutive hits and four runs scored in the second set it up to coast the remainder of game one, defeating Lafayette (6-30-1, 2-10 Patriot League) 10-2 and is set to sweep the doubleheader with a 12-3 lead in game two. SU had a season-high 15 hits in the opener in which the Orange utilized a diverse offensive attack, including eight different players to garner a hit and three with at least three hits. The second matchup has been much of the same, as Syracuse again piled on four runs in the sixth inning and its 13 hits are the team’s second-most of the year.
Game two was postponed during the seventh inning after severe weather in Easton, Pennsylvania, and play will resume at noon tomorrow.
Innings 3-5 saw the Orange plate zero runs and their lead to dwindle to 5-2. But they went on another run-scoring spree in the sixth inning to secure the blowout victory.
Galipeau kept her productive first game going, bringing home Starr off an RBI double into the right field corner. Galipeau led the offense all day long, finishing the first contest 3-for-4 with two RBIs. A fielder’s choice groundout to Lafayette pitcher Morrigan Gardiner sent Breen back to the dugout but Galipeau moved to third base. Up next was Jasso, who got hit by an errant pitch from Gardiner, leaving runners on the corners.
The Orange caught the Leopard defense sleeping, double-stealing Galipeau and Jasso to score their second run of the inning. Right after, Knight plated Jasso on an opposite-field RBI double, giving Syracuse an 8-2 lead. Laila Alves and Taylor Posner each knocked in runs off a single and double, respectively, as the deficit sat at eight for Lafayette.
Leopards’ centerfielder Paige Sandidge hit a leadoff double in the bottom sixth, doing whatever she could to avoid her team getting run-ruled. But Knight got past the early baserunner, forcing two groundouts and striking out one to shut it down. Knight finished the day with a solid performance in the circle, allowing only two earned runs and six hits in a complete-game.
Sweeping doubleheaders has been hard to come by for Syracuse. It’s only accomplished that feat twice, the last time coming back on March 22, one month ago to the date. But from right the get-to, the Orange put pressure on the Leopards in game two.
Kailee Sawai started for Lafayette, who entered with a 5.54 ERA on the season. A Galipeau leadoff double, Breen walk and Jasso reach on error loaded the bases, putting Syracuse right into scoring position. Knight, batting cleanup, swung at a 3-2 pitch that dribbled toward second base. Shortstop Harlie Bickett scooped it up, stepped on second but fired a high throw over to first, allowing an extra runner to score and for Knight to reach base.
On the next pitch, Alves skied a double into left field, scoring Knight and advancing to third on the throw home. Syracuse ended the first half-inning up 3-0 after Clyde grounded out.
The Orange led off the second inning with two quick fly outs from Kate Dorazio and Galipeau, which brought Breen to the dish. Sawai lobbed a knee-high ball to Breen, as the second baseman uncorked a solo home run into deep left field to increase the SU lead 4-0. It was Breen’s team-high fifth homer of the year, and her second in three games.
Lindsey Hendrix took the circle in game two. The junior began on a high note with two strikeouts and no hits in the first inning, then sat down the Leopards 1-2-3 in the second. She faced trouble in the third inning after hitting Bickett and walking Kylee Sweet in consecutive at-bats, but Hendrix struck out Kaili Reitano looking to end the bottom half and had a no-hitter through three innings.
Megan Coyle doubled down the left-field line to lead off inning No. 4. It was Hendrix’s first big mistake of the day but she got initially past the early runner in scoring position. Olivia Catalina rolled a grounder to Dorazio at short, who threw out Coyle trying to extend from second to third.
That’s when Hendrix briefly lost control of the Leopards. After striking out Bailey Langford on the swing, Hendrix let up a two-out, RBI double from Sandidge. Then, Kaya Ciccone-Cozart reached first on an error by Dorazio, scoring Sandidge and cutting the deficit in half for Lafayette.
Knight added on some insurance in the top of the fifth, cranking an RBI double into center field that scored Breen. Hendrix responded by getting the next three Lafayette batters out in order.
In the sixth inning, Lafayette’s deficit became insurmountable for the second game in a row. Angie Ramos crossed home after a Peyton Schemmer ground ball was mishandled by Sweet at third, which made it 6-2 Syracuse. With runners on the corners, Galipeau crushed a first-pitch fastball into center field for a three-run home run, her third blast of the season.
