Syracuse Swept at Clemson to Start ACC Play
After a few tournaments to kick off the season, Syracuse headed to Clemson to open up conference play against the fourth ranked Clemson Tigers. The Orange fell short in all three games, allowing Clemson to earn the series sweep.
The Tigers have one of the nation’s best hitters in Valerie Cagle. Coming into the series, Cagle was hitting an astounding .508 on the year with 30 hits. She’d done all of that in just 59 plate appearances.
In the first game of the series, Cagle made her presence known from the get-go. Not long after her teammate Maddie Moore got the scoring started with a homer, Cagle smashed one of her own out of the park to put the Tigers up 2-0.
Not only can Valerie Cagle hit, though; she pitched the entirety of the first game of the series, holding Syracuse to one run and notching eight strikeouts. She proved on Saturday why she is one of the best two-way players in college softball.
Syracuse’s one and only run in the first game of the series was unearned. It came as Kelly Breen laced one up the left side, allowing Angel Jasso to score. However, Jasso reached on a bunt, only advancing to second because of a throwing error by Clemson, making her run unearned.
The Orange fell 4-1 in the first of the three game series.
Because of inclement weather in the Clemson area, the first two games of the series were played back to back. So, just a few hours after their first matchup with one of the country’s best teams, the Orange suited up to do it all again.
The second game was less than ideal; Syracuse was down early and was never able to claw their way back in it.
The Tigers started running up the score early, taking a 3-0 lead by the end of the first inning. Alia Logoleo, Ariella Oda and McKenzie Clark did the bulk of the damage, driving in seven runs between the three of them. Valerie Cagle knocked in the remaining run.
As the score would indicate, Syracuse’s pitching staff struggled immensely in the second matchup. Jackie Pengel started the game for ‘Cuse and lasted two innings, facing 10 batters but recording just two strikeouts. Clemson scored four runs, all earned, on Pengel.
Syracuse’s coaching staff brought in Lindsey Hendrix to try to salvage the game in the third inning. She endured a similar fate to Pengel, lasting two innings in which she faced 13 batters, but only being able to strike two of them out. The Tigers notched another four runs off Hendrix.
Syracuse would end up losing the second game 8-0 in five innings. To those unfamiliar, the mercy rule in college softball states that a game shall end if a team leads their opponent by eight or more runs after five equal innings. In this case, Clemson was the home team, so when Syracuse failed to score in the top of the fifth, there was no reason for Clemson to bat again. The game ended by way of the mercy rule.
Game three is where things started to look up for the Orange. This one was a nailbiter until the very end.
The Sunday contest saw Madison Knight throw a complete game for the Orange. Knight, who has struggled with walks at times this season, was outstanding against the Tigers this time around, facing 23 batters and allowing just one run. On top of that, she only walked one and gave up only four hits all game.
Unfortunately for Syracuse, Clemson’s pitchers were outstanding, too. Valerie Cagle was credited with the save after taking the mound in the sixth inning to preserve Clemson’s small lead. Before Cagle, it was Brooke McCubbin and Regan Spencer holding the Orange scoreless and to just three hits, one credited to each pitcher.
Clemson’s only run would come in the fifth. Oda singled, but was able to reach second because of a throwing error by the Orange. She would make her way to third after a single from Ally Miklesh. Oda would then score from third when Reedy Davenport grounded out to second. Since there were fewer than two outs, Oda’s run counted, putting the Tigers up 1-0.
Syracuse was unable to score in their final trip to the plate, allowing Clemson to narrowly take game three 1-0.
With the three losses, the Orange fall to 6-9 on the year and 0-3 in ACC play. Syracuse will head to Riverside, CA next weekend for another tournament. They will face Harvard, UC San Diego and California Baptist University.