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Ariana Adams walked Duke’s Jameson Kavel and hit Deja Davis with a pitch to start the game, putting the Orange at risk of trailing in the first inning for the fifth time in their last six Atlantic Coast Conference games.

Then, with Rachel Crabtree up to bat, Kavel took off to steal third. Laila Alves attempted to throw her out, but the ball sailed past third baseman Rebecca Clyde and into the outfield. Kavel scored, Davis advanced to third, and the Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead.

Adams struck out Crabtree and forced the following batter, Kristina Foreman, to hit a ground ball to third. But it sneaked under Clyde’s glove and into the outfield, allowing Davis to score and Foreman to move to second.

Gisele Tapia then hit a hard ground ball to Neli Casares-Maher at shortstop, which she fielded and threw to first to Tessa Galipeau, who dropped the ball for Syracuse’s third error of the first inning. It gave Duke runners on first and third with just one out. Tapia stole second to give the Blue Devils two runners in scoring position, but Adams forced a Claire Davidson infield pop out before striking out Francesca Frelick to end the inning.

The Orange were fortunate to trail by only two runs, but it was still a lead the offense was unable to overcome as Syracuse (20-19, 3-14 ACC) ultimately fell 5-0 to No. 15 Duke (35-6, 15-2 ACC). Friday’s game marked the fourth time the Orange were shutout this season, with three of them coming in ACC play, as they have consistently struggled against their toughest competition.

“Having great at-bats, doing the little things, moving the runners, getting the leadoff (hitter) out — I think that’s what we need to take away,” Geana Torres said.

Syracuse nearly answered in the bottom of the first inning, where the team totaled half of its total hits on the day. Angel Jasso led off with an infield single, and after Galipeau hit into a fielder’s choice to effectively take Jasso’s place on first, Casares-Maher ripped the ball to left field for a single of her own.

But that was as close as the Orange got to putting any runs on the board in the opening frame. Kelly Breen grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Alves struck out looking to end the inning which kept Duke’s multi-run lead intact.

The Blue Devils added another run in the second inning after Kyla Morris got on base off an infield single, stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw before scoring on a Kamryn Jackson single. Davis singled shortly after, and Crabtree was hit by a pitch, once again putting Duke in position to break the game open.

But on a full count, Adams struck out Foreman swinging for Syracuse’s second out of the inning. She was then pulled for Lindsey Hendrix, who got Tapia to ground out at third to end the inning. For the second consecutive inning, Syracuse escaped a jam with little damage done, but it hardly mattered due to the lack of runs the team put on the board offensively.

Adams picked up the loss, moving her record to 5-8 on the season. Her final line consisted of three hits and three runs allowed — only one of which was earned. She also struck out three Blue Devils in 1.2 innings.

Hendrix only faced one batter after escaping the second inning, as Davidson ripped a line drive off her leg for a single to lead off the third inning. Members of Syracuse’s training staff came out to the pitcher’s circle to check on Hendrix, but after throwing a few practice pitches, she left the game and Kaia Oliver replaced her.

After a shaky start to the season, Oliver pitched her fourth consecutive ACC outing, going 2.2 innings and allowing only one run on three hits. Summer Clark tossed the remaining 2.1 innings for the Orange, also giving up a one run.

But Syracuse’s pitching performance could not compare to that of Duke’s Peyton St. George. The fifth-year senior went the distance, throwing a complete-game shutout with eight strikeouts and only four hits allowed. She picked up her 18th win of the season, while her new ERA of 1.75 ranks in the top three in the conference among pitchers with 100 or more innings pitched.

“She can spin the ball and hit spots, and we just need to figure out how to make an adjustment to get to her,” Torres said.

Jasso was Syracuse’s only player to record multiple hits, as she stretched a double out of a blooper to right field in the third inning to go along with her single in the first. The team’s only other two hits came from Casares-Maher and Carli Campbell. In the field, Syracuse’s five errors marked a season high, surpassing its three errors each in games against Pittsburgh and Stephen F. Austin — both of which the Orange won.

Published on April 22, 2022 at 8:00 pm

Contact Spencer: spgoldst@syr.edu