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Syracuse started its season totaling 31 runs in its sweep of a doubleheader at the Best on the Bayou Classic in Monroe, Louisiana, on Friday. The Orange defeated Mississippi Valley State by a score of 9-2 to begin the afternoon before dismantling Southern, 22-0, to cap off the day. It was against Southern that sophomore right fielder Angel Jasso became the first player in the team’s history to hit for the cycle.

In the first game, the Orange rallied behind fifth-year pitcher Ariana Adams, who was making her first start with Syracuse following four seasons at University of Texas. The Houston native pitched a seven-inning, no-hit shutout, striking out eight Delta Devils in the process.

Freshman Summer Clark came in to relieve Adams to start the fifth inning with the Orange leading 7-0. But after two walks and a single from pitcher Daisy Page that drove in the team’s only two runs, Adams returned to the game and extinguished any hopes of the Delta Devils coming back.

Syracuse’s offense enjoyed a successful start to the day, with four players beginning the season with a multi-hit game. Jasso got the Orange on the board with a 2-RBI single in the first inning, and after a walk to Carli Campbell two batters later, Page was pulled from the game after recording only one out while allowing five runs in the first inning.

Freshman Taylor Posner produced a multi-hit game in her first contest at the collegiate level, tallying the inaugural RBI of her SU career on the first of two singles. Paris Woods and fifth-year shortstop Neli Casares-Maher — who was named to the 2021 All-ACC Second Team — also put up two base hits each, while Jasso led the way with three.

The Orange tacked on an additional run in the second inning on Posner’s single and added another in the third, courtesy of Woods’ second single of the day. The team’s final two runs came from sacrifice flies in both the sixth and seventh inning, the first from freshman Tessa Galipeau and the second from freshman Laila Alves. Alves finished with two RBIs between that flyout and a bases loaded walk in the first inning.

But today’s first game was just a warmup for SU’s offense, which produced 22 runs — tied for the second-most in a single game in the team’s history — in its second game against Southern.

More than half of Syracuse’s runs came in the first inning, where the Orange exploded for 14 runs out of the gate. Southern starting pitcher Annelise Corona was pulled after facing six batters and gave up six runs in the inning.

Julia York came in for Corona and was no better, facing five batters and allowing five runs with Southern still failing to record an out. Raquel Latta entered for York, and Syracuse secured three more runs before the inning ended, eventually allowing 10 earned runs before Corona came back in to start the fourth inning.

The Orange hit four home runs in the inning off the bats of Jude Padilla, Casares-Maher, Kelly Breen and Jasso — with the latter two going back-to-back. Jasso became the first player in SU’s history to hit for the cycle, while the team’s 18 hits tied the third-most Syracuse has recorded in a single game and the most since 2016.

Five different players – Casares-Maher, Breen, Jasso, Padilla and Campbell produced four RBIs each against Southern, together accounting for 20 of Syracuse’s 22 runs. Galipeau had the team’s lone other RBI, and the final run came from Jasso scoring on a wild pitch.

Clark bounced back after she struggled in the first game of the doubleheader and tossed three scoreless innings, combining with sophomore Lindsey Hendrix for a five-inning shutout before the game was called due to the NCAA mercy rule of eight runs through five frames.

Following last season’s on base percentage of .292 that marked Syracuse’s second-lowest ever and its worst since 2001, the Orange finished with a .592 clip today.

Published on February 11, 2022 at 8:41 pm

Contact Spencer: spgoldst@syr.edu