Syracuse Softball Splits Day 2 Doubleheader of the Felsberg Invitational
By Sam Lebowitz
CitrusTV Softball Beat Reporter
MIAMI, Fla. – Syracuse should have started their season on Friday at the Felsburg Invitational, but Mother Nature had other plans. Rain postponed their Day 1 doubleheader, so the team waited until Saturday to kick off their 2020 campaign.
Things got off to a rocky start when Syracuse faced Penn State (2-1, 0-0 Big 10) in its first game. The ace, Alexa Romero, got the nod in the circle for the Orange, but had a laborious start to the game, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk in a very long second inning. The Nittany Lions tacked on another in the third to push the early deficit to four.
That’s when Gabby Teran decided to take things into her own hands. The junior second baseman ripped a solo home run in the third inning for the Orange’s run and hit of the morning. Then, she tripled home Jaime Barta to put Syracuse down just a pair n the fifth.
SU stormed back to tie the game in the sixth, thanks two hits and three walks, two of which came with bases loaded. It took an extra inning to decide a winner, and Toni Martin answered the call for the Orange. She began the frame at second base, immediately stole third, and scored on a wild throw, giving Syracuse a walk-off win, 5-4, in their first game.
Syracuse would not have had the chance at a comeback had Alexa Romero not settled down in the middle innings. She tossed a 123-pitch, eight inning complete game, striking out four. The left-hander retired the last 14 batters to face her.
The Orange barely survived their first test at Felsberg Stadium, and the second game of the doubleheader was against the invitational’s hosting team, FIU.
Kaia Oliver, one of five freshmen on the Syracuse squad, took the ball for the Orange. Her college debut went as well as can be expected, tossing six strong frames on just 81 pitches while giving up six hits, two runs, and no walks. She failed to strike out a batter but got 12 of her outs by groundballs.
Oliver’s lone trouble came about in the fourth inning, when she gave up two runs on three hits, made worse by a wild pitch and a stolen base. Those two runs were enough FIU to beat Syraucse 2-1 as FIU junior Allison Muraskin held the Orange to just a run on three hits with five punchouts.
Freshmen Rebecca Clyde scored the lone Syracuse run on a Gabby Teran single in sixth after she had tripled for her first college hit.
Syracuse picks things back up against Michigan State tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.
salebowi@syr.edu | @SamLebo14
