Syracuse Softball Completes Sweep Over Lafayette

By: Adam Gotkin | @adam_gotkin

EASTON, PA. – Syracuse softball completed a sweep of Lafayette, winning Sunday afternoon’s series finale 11-1. The Orange tallied 33 runs across the three games, the most in a series this season. Syracuse batters combined for a .438 batting average and a .657 slugging percentage in the three-game series against the Leopards.

Freshman pitcher Madison Knight was the star of the game, throwing her fifth complete game of the season and striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing just one run on five hits. In her two starts against Lafayette, Knight posted a 1.62 earned run average and 16 strikeouts over 13 innings of work. Her excellent pitching combined with the Orange offense clicking led to a dominant performance.

After three scoreless innings, Syracuse scored the first run in the fourth inning with designated player Jackie Pengel’s first career hit and RBI. The Orange offense kept clicking, producing four runs in the fifth frame. Outfielder Angie Ramos got the action started with a single, and Tessa Galipeau doubled Syracuse’s lead with a single. Kelly Breen and pinch hitter Peyton Schemmer recorded hits to bring in two more runs. Knight brought home the final run of the inning with a double.

Lafayette responded with its first run in the fifth inning, but Syracuse added to the lead in the seventh inning, recording a series-high six runs. Knight sent an extra-base hit to center field, scoring two runs, while a double from Laila Alves logged the eighth Orange run of the game. Pengel found a gap in shallow right field, sending Alves home, and outfielder Taylor Posner ended the scoring run with a two-run home run.

The Orange finished with 11 runs on 17 hits, a single-game high for this season. Nine different Syracuse batters recorded at least one hit, six of them being multi-hit performances. Knight, Posner, and Pengel all drove in multiple runs.

Syracuse concludes its road schedule with a doubleheader against Cornell on Wednesday, Apr. 26. The Orange is hoping to carry the momentum from the Lafayette sweep into the upcoming games and finish the season strong. The Orange’s performance against Lafayette showcased their ability to excel in both pitching and hitting, making them a team to watch out for in the remaining games of the season.

ajgotkin@syr.edu | @adam_gotkin