Opening Day doesn’t go Syracuse’s softball’s way as it drops the first two games of the season to Binghamton and #12 South Carolina

By: Nick Zuppe | @nickzuppe

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Syracuse softball (0-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) opened up its season in the Gamecock Invitational. SU fell to both Binghamton 5-1 (1-1, 0-0 America East) and then to #12 South Carolina (1-1, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) 15-2 in 5 innings about seven hours later. This marks the first time since the 2019 season that the Orange lost their first two games of the season, which was head coach Shannon Deopking’s first year at the helm of the Orange. So, how did it happen?  

In game one, Syracuse couldn’t come up with the big hit. The Orange had a runner on base in every inning, with a runner reaching scoring position in five of those. To that, SU went 1-11 for the game with a woman on either second or third base. 

SU came close to cracking the run column when it loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the fourth. First baseman Vanessa Flores flew out to right field, and Binghamton’s Maddy Dodig gunned down Grace Lantier trying to tag up from second to third, before the run scored. 

However, the Orange got on the board when freshman catcher Grace Weaver singled in her first career RBI in the 6th inning. 

On the pitching side of things, starting pitcher Julianna Verni gave up four runs in three innings. Binghamton scored three runs with two outs in the third inning when Verni hit Delaney Glover with a pitch, and second baseman Akira Kopec singled in two more runs in the very next at-bat.  

Then, Jackie Pengel came in and held the Bearcats scoreless until Kopec struck again and blasted a solo home run in the seventh inning. The redshirt junior finished with a game-high three RBIs.

Hoping for a new result in game two, it was all Gamecocks from the first inning. 

After SU didn’t score in the top half, South Carolina responded with four runs in the bottom half. Gamecock first baseman Adrianna Rodi blasted a two-run homer off SU starting pitcher Madison Knight. SC tacked on two more in the inning, with the help of an error from the Orange.

Just one inning later, South Carolina added three more runs on four hits and another SU defensive blunder. Rodi got Knight again with an RBI single. Plus, third baseman Tate Davis doubled in two Gamecocks with a double to right-center field. 

And, if it couldn’t get any worse for SU, SC put a six-spot in the bottom of the third. And, everyone got involved in this half inning. Five different gamecocks knocked in a run, and six had a hit. So, after three innings, Carolina was up 13-0. 

But Syracuse put its only two runs on the board a half hour later. Starting pitcher Madison Knight led off the inning with the Orange’s first home run of the 2026 season. Later on, Madelyn Lopez brought Mackenzie Knight on a sac fly.  

With the loss in game two, Syracuse has now dropped 35 of 38 games to ranked opponents since 2019 under head coach Shannon Deopking.

All told, SU doubled its run total offensively from game one to game two, but gave up triple the amount of runs in the second contest.  

However, the Orange are back at it tomorrow with another doubleheader in the Gamecock Invitational. The ‘Cuse can get payback against Binghamton at 10 AM. Then, about five hours later, SU battles Winthrop for the first time since 2017, with the first pitch set for 3:00 PM.  

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