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Syracuse entered Sunday coming off one of its worst pitching performances of the season in which it gave up 13 runs in five innings to No. 17 Clemson. It didn’t take long for the Orange to show the same pitching inconsistencies Sunday. SU pitcher Britney Lewinski hit two batters and walked another to load the bases.

Lewinski then walked Valerie Cagle the next at bat to score Maddie Moore and put Clemson up 1-0. Before she recorded an out, Lewinski was pulled by Syracuse head coach Shannon Doepking. Jessie DiPasquale replaced Lewinski in the circle, inheriting a tough situation with the bases loaded and nobody out. Not much changed as DiPasquale walked her second batter before Lindsey Garcia recorded Clemson’s first hit to make it 4-0.

Syracuse’s (16-17, 4-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) pitching continued to struggle in its double header against No. 17 Clemson (27-11, 11-4, ACC). The Orange walked 12 batters across their two games, letting up 17 runs as they fell to the Tigers by 10-1 in the first game and 7-1 in the latter.

DiPasquale’s inability to throw strikes continued in the second inning, walking the first two batters. DiPasquale did register two outs, first striking out Moore and Cagle before Alex Brown grounded into a fielder’s choice. But DiPasquale couldn’t make it out of the second unblemished as Mckenzie Clark singled to make it 5-0.

After DiPasquale ended the second by striking Cagle out, she ran into trouble again in the third. Alia Logoleo was walked before Garcia homered as Clemson increased its lead to 7-0.

“It is what it is. Home-run happened, error happened…they’re a really good team,” Syracuse pitcher Madison Knight said. “So I think just realizing that it is what it is and trying to get the next (batter) out.”

Along with its pitching issues, Syracuse’s fielding continued to be a problem as well. The Orange committed four errors Saturday, and recorded the same amount in its two games Sunday.

The pitching and fielding struggles prevented Syracuse from being competitive in either game Sunday. Syracuse registered 14 hits compared to Clemson’s 13, but the Tigers took advantage of their chances with runners in scoring position.

“On Saturday, we just got in our own way and we were just in our heads,” Syracuse outfielder Angel Jasso said. “Today (Sunday) was more for the team and competing our butts off and battling.”

The Orange couldn’t recover from their early struggles on the mound, falling 10-1 in six innings. Clark smashed a three-run home run off DiPasquale in the sixth inning before Syracuse went scoreless in the bottom of the inning.

Knight took the mound for Syracuse in the second matchup, but she struggled early on like the rest of SU’s pitching staff. Brown was walked before Julia Knowler homered to right center, putting Clemson up 2-0 in the first inning. Clemson tacked on two more in the second, increasing its lead to 4-0.

Julianna Verni took over in the circle in the fourth inning for Syracuse and helped the Orange keep the Tigers scoreless for three straight innings. Knight’s home run helped cut Syracuse’s deficit to three in the bottom of the fourth, but it wouldn’t be enough for the Orange.

Lindsey Hendrix, who took over in the fifth inning for Syracuse, got into a jam. After two straight singles, Kylee Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Julia Bomhardt. An error then loaded the bases before Hendrix walked two straight batters to put Clemson up 7-1.

“(Our batting) was pretty good, especially against ranked opponents and that’s probably some of the best hitting we’ve had all season,” Knight said. “So I think knowing we can hit teams like this and bring (the confidence) into the rest of the season.”

Published on April 7, 2024 at 6:56 pm