Syracuse softball sweeps a doubleheader in Day 1 at the Liberty Softball Classic
By: Nick Zuppe | @nickzuppe
Lynchburg, VA – On day one of the Liberty Softball Classic, Syracuse softball (6-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat Toledo (1-9, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) in game one, and the host of the tournament, Liberty (3-9, 0-0 Conference USA), both by a score of 5-3. So, how did SU bounce back from losing two straight games and turn them into wins?
In game one, it was a close game throughout, yet the Orange always seemed to have the game under control, never trailing.
The ‘Cuse got going in the bottom of the first inning. After the Flames left a runner in scoring position in the top half, Orange designated player Harmony Jackson picked up her first collegiate RBI as a freshman on a single to left in her first career start.
But after Liberty tied the game at 1, at the top of the third, Syracuse started swinging for the fences one inning later.
SU first baseman Madison Knight started the fourth with a solo home run, which is her third of the season through the first nine games of 2026. The senior had four all of last year, too. But two batters later, catcher Taylor Davidson did the same thing. The junior lined a solo shot over the left field fence. Davidson’s first home run of the season, and just the second of her career, made it a 3-1 game, but the catcher would strike again in the 5th.
With the game tied at three, SU had the bases loaded with two outs in the inning. Davidson lined a single through the right side of the infield to make the score 5-3, and it would stay that way.
On the pitching side, SU’s Jackie Pengel threw the first five innings and allowed three runs, but none of them were earned due to errors. After Pengel, Julianna Verni came in and threw two scoreless innings to finish it off.
In game two, it was a back-and-forth affair between Syracuse and Liberty. After falling behind 2-0, the Orange scored three runs on a walk, a sac fly, and an infield single to take the lead 3-2.
But, the flames responded in the bottom of the 5th with a game-tying single from first baseman Maci Strikeland. However, that brought in SU first baseman Madison Knight to pitch, and Kaimi Tulua to fill her place, and that proved to be the game-changer.
Knight would go on to throw two and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief, in which she retired seven of the nine batters she faced. And for Tulua, after outfielder Jadyn Burney singled for the third time in the game, she had the swing of the night. The sophomore crushed a no-doubt two-run home run over the left field to put the Orange ahead 5-3. Both of Tulua’s two hits this season are long balls.
However, the Orange can ride this momentum into tomorrow with another doubleheader in the Liberty Softball Classic. The ‘Cuse takes on the same two teams tomorrow: first pitch against Toledo is at 2:30, with its next game scheduled to start at 4:30 against Liberty.
For live game updates, follow @nickzuppe on X/Twitter and @citrustvsports on X/Twitter and Youtube for coverage!
