Syracuse Softball traveled down south to play in the Bevo Classic in Texas

By: Nick Zuppe | @nickzuppe

Austin, TX – With five games originally on the schedule, Syracuse softball (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) only played three full games due to thunderstorms in the area. But, only one of those games went the Orange’s way: beating Abilene Christian (0-11, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference) 2-1 and losing to number two Texas (7-1, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) 14-0 and Ohio State (5-3, 0-0 Big Ten) 9-0, both by way of the mercy rule.

On Friday, the Orange played two of the three games. Starting with Abilene Christian in the afternoon. This one was a classic pitcher’s duel all the way through.

The Orange got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning, with shortstop Kendal Gaunt picking up her first RBI of her career on a single in the second inning. 

After Abilene Christian tied the game in the top half of the sixth inning, Syracuse responded in the bottom half, with Gaunt delivering under pressure. The freshman lined out, which allowed the game-winning run to score. Gaunt picked up the first two collegiate RBIs and drove in both of the Orange’s runs. 

On the pitching side of things, SU starter Julianna Verni threw the first two innings without allowing a hit. Then, Madison Knight came in and threw the final five innings, striking out four hitters. So, with a win in game one under its belt, how did the Orange fare in game two?

Not so good. Syracuse got mercied in five innings, 14-0, by number two Texas, the host of the tournament. Now, it was over from the opening moments of the game when the Longhorns exploded for ten runs in the first inning. 

SU starting pitcher Jackie Pengel would only get one out before getting taken out in the opening frame of the game. The senior gave up seven total runs, but only four runs were earned due to defensive mistakes behind her. 

As a whole, eight of the nine Texas starters scored a run and recorded a knock, with nine players driving in a run as well (one being a pinch hitter). 

For Syracuse, Julianna Verni came in for Pengel and finished the game, giving up seven runs, but only four were earned due to fielding errors. SU had two errors for the game. On offense, the Orange had three baserunners the whole game, but on the positive side of things, they only struck out four times. So, after splitting a double header, the Orange had another one the next day, at least they were supposed to.

Due to the thunderstorms, SU’s game against number two Texas at 6:00 and Northern Illinois softball (1-2, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) at 8:30. But what ended up happening was the game against NIU got moved up to noon, and the contest against the Longhorns got cancelled altogether. So, how did the Orange fare against the Huskies? 

Well, the game was never decided because Mother Nature intervened. As it stood when the rain started to come down, SU’s Sofia Taliaferro was on third base with nobody out in the bottom of the fourth inning, and catcher Kiara Bellido was in the batter’s box in a 2-1 game that had the Orange trailing. 

This one was never resumed and is neither a win nor a loss for either team. Also, there is no inclination that it will never be picked up again. So, it is like that Syracuse and Northern Illinois never lined up to play. 

But, in the game, Huskies starting pitcher and three-hitter in the lineup, Daniella Stewart, drove in a run with a single to right field, after keeping the Orange off the board in the first two innings to make it a 2-0 game. 

But the ‘Cuse answered one inning later with a solo home run from Madison Knight. That was the seniors’ team’s third homer of the season, after having four the entire season last year. With the Huskies in the rear-view mirror, SU turned its attention to the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Early on Sunday morning, Syracuse took on Ohio State in a game that was moved up an hour again due to potential inclement weather. 

For the game, the Buckeyes swung their way to a win, with two players in particular who did the most damage: First baseman Abbie Wilhelm and designated player Hailey Lang.   

After the two teams traded zeros in the first two frames, Abbie Wilhelm blasted a grand slam to put the Buckeyes up 4-0 in the third inning. From then on, the extra base hits continued. 

Designated player Hailey Lang crushed a two-run home run in the fifth inning that made it 6-0 and knocked SU starting pitcher Madison Knight out of the game. The senior has now given up three home runs so far this season. 

The nail in the coffin came just one inning later when Wilhelm and Lang did even more damage. Wilhelm knocked in a run with an RBI triple, and Lang drove her in just three pitches later to make the lead nine. As a whole, the two combined for three extra base hits (2 HR), five RBIs, and three runs scored. 

To sum it all up, Syracuse went 1-2 in the Bevo Classic, with one of its games postponed and no signs it will ever be rescheduled. 

Syracuse is back in action next weekend with five scheduled games in the Liberty Classic out in Virginia. The first game of the weekend for the ‘Cuse is this Friday at 11:00 AM against Toledo, with another contest that day at 3:30 against the host of the tournament, Liberty. 

For live game updates, follow @nickzuppe on X/Twitter and @citrustvsports on X/Twitter and Youtube for coverage!