SB : Caira pitches 2 complete-game shutouts in SU’s doubleheader sweep against Binghamton
Jenna Caira smiled after a foul ball spoiled a possible strikeout. The Syracuse ace earned the strikeout on the next pitch, firing a fastball past the Binghamton hitter to end the top of the fourth inning.
Caira then pumped her fist, pointed to her catcher Ashley Dimon, and gave her a high five as they met the rest of the team outside the dugout. She looks forward to those battles with opposing batters.
‘These girls that we faced, a lot of them gave me a run for my money,’ Caira said. ‘When I’m able to win those types of battles, it feels good. It’s just like a little side accomplishment.’
Caira won nearly all those battles in a doubleheader against Binghamton on Thursday. She led Syracuse to a 5-0 win in game one and a 4-0 victory in the second game. Caira pitched 13 innings and allowed just four hits combined to earn both shutout victories.
SU head coach Leigh Ross said it was the best she has seen Caira pitch in a long time. Ross said every pitch was sharp, and that made her tough to hit. She has used her rise ball more often this season, and she had the power pitch working again on Thursday.
Caira turned to her least effective pitch in her final inning of the day. With two quick strikes on the hitter, Caira overmatched her with a rise ball for a strikeout. Ross said that pitch, coupled with her drop ball and changeup, made it a long day at the plate for Binghamton.
‘She threw her rise ball a lot and it was working,’ Ross said. ‘So when you’ve got three pitches that are working, it’s really difficult for a hitter.’
Caira said she worked well with Dimon to keep the hitters off balance. Pitcher and catcher were on the same page in both games.
That chemistry developed between innings when they often met with assistant coach Mike Bosch. Bosch stood at the end of the dugout every inning making notes on each at-bat. He would then review the notes with them after nearly every inning.
Bosch wrote observations about each batter and what pitches were used during the at-bat. The pitcher and the catcher then know what worked and didn’t work in previous at-bats. They then use that information to attack each hitter.
‘Every inning like who we’re facing and what to expect next,’ Caira said. ‘So that’s just kind of keeping on top of our game to make sure that we don’t make a mistake or we keep being successful.’
Caira said the team also tracks every pitch and location on a more detailed chart. She said every pitch counts, and that information helps her in the circle.
Ross said SU played a solid game offensively and defensively in support of Caira. Though the offense never broke out with a big inning, it did enough to win both games.
Hallie Gibbs hit a two-run home run in the first inning of the first game to give SU an early lead. With Caira cruising, the team never felt pressure the rest of the game. Lacey Kohl’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the fifth inning gave the Orange a four-run lead and put the game out of reach.
‘We weren’t putting too much pressure on ourselves offensively,’ Ross said. ‘We got the big hits when we needed them.’
Binghamton struggled to get any hits against Caira. The Bearcats, which lead the America East in slugging percentage and home runs, only sent 22 hitters to the plate in the first game and never threatened to score. Ross said she expected a tough game against that lineup, but Caira was just too good.
‘I think that’s a very strong Binghamton team for sure. They’re a very strong team,’ Ross said. ‘I think Jenna just had that good of a day today.’
Bosch said Caira is always on top of the game. He said she is a smart pitcher who uses the details they talk about to her advantage. That knowledge and her sharp pitches made it an unfair battle most of the day.
And her dominance left no doubt that SU was going to win both games.
Said Bosch: ‘When they don’t score, you’re going to win.’
