Should People be Concerned About Syracuse Softball?
Nathaniel Cunningham | @n_cunning_0
Through Syracuse Softball’s (8-9, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) first 11 games, The Orange held an 8-3 record. All three of SU’s defeats came down to the final inning where it had runners on with a chance to take the lead at the plate.
However, 10 days ago Syracuse suffered an 11-8 loss to Northwestern State that sparked a six-game losing skid for the Orange. So what’s happened in just under a week and a half?
Let’s stay on the Northwestern State game for a moment. The Orange had a 6-0 lead after two innings. But in the final three frames, SU was held to three hits and no walks. While Syracuse tallied 6 hits in both games afterward, it didn’t result in enough offense to win either game.
This past weekend against the Blue Devils, the Orange offense still couldn’t get on the board. SU was held scoreless on 10 hits in 21 innings. Syracuse had gone stale but Duke is the number 6 team in the country. The Orange had to face Jala Wright who has a 0.37 ERA which is top ten in the nation.
While the past 2 weekends have been a struggle, the Orange still has bright spots to look forward to. Outfielder Angel Jasso has started in every game for SU. Last year, Jasso notched just 10 extra-base hits while hitting just above .300. This year the senior already has 7 XBH and is hitting just shy of .450. The outfielder is also a perfect 7 for 7 at stealing bases.
Utility Taylor Posner has also improved at the plate. The junior has also started in every game for the Orange while tallying a career-high in home runs just 17 games into the season. Posner leads the team in runs batted in and runs as well.
Syracuse brought in three new pitchers to help boost a staff that had a team Earned Runs Average of 4.23 a year ago. However, it has been senior Lindsey Hendrix that’s been truly locked down. SU’s ace has dropped her ERA by nearly 2 points this season and is 5-1 on the year. Hendrix has struck out a team-high 30 while notching 2 complete game shutouts. Opponents are hitting just .229 off of her this season.
Sophomore Madison Knight has struggled producing a 3.58 ERA but it shouldn’t be a concern. Last year, once the Orange hit full-time ACC play, Knight delivered a sub-2 ERA.
The transfers have been key for SU in Closing out games. While Seminole State transfer Britney Lewinski is the only member of Syracuse to secure a save, Grad student Jessie DiPasquale has a team-low 1.11 ERA in 5 appearances.
Syracuse softball has had just a rigorous schedule to this point which can account for some tough results as of late. 14 of SU’s 17 games have been one half of a doubleheader and SU has a few more in a week.
The Orange head to Norfolk, Virginia to take on Le Moyne and Norfolk State on Monday. Then on Tuesday, Syracuse takes on Quinnipiac and Norfolk State.
