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While Syracuse’s 17-8 start to this season looks dominant on the scoresheet, its games have been relatively routine. When it scores first, it wins. When it scores second, it tends to lose. SU tallied a 13-2 record when scoring first and a 3-7 record when second entering Wednesday’s doubleheader with Niagara.

The Orange have had luck, but in their eight losses, comebacks haven’t been in their favor. With Syracuse set to play at the Skytop Softball Stadium for the first time this season, the script looked primed to be flipped.

And it was. Syracuse (19-8, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) swept Niagara (2-10, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic) 7-6 and 15-0 behind a four-run seventh inning in game one and a complete thrashing in game two.

With Syracuse not starting its ace Madison Knight, the Orange opened with Jackie Pengel in the circle for the second time this season. Having not pitched since SU’s 6-3 win over Appalachian State on Feb. 23, rust was warranted to set in.

However, showcasing SU’s early-season dominance, Pengel retired Niagara’s first three hitters. The second inning presented problems, with Pengel hitting two straight batters, but she recorded three consecutive putouts to leave the frame unscathed.

“Our pitchers do a really good job of holding it down, 100%. They trust our offense to back them up,” SU shortstop Kayla Sigala said postgame.

On the other side, the Orange started with a Jadyn Burney infield single before she stole her eighth bag of the year. But Syracuse failed to capitalize, as Niagara’s Sage Jackson retired six of SU’s next eight hitters.

Pengel’s dominance was short-lived, and in the top of the third, Niagara’s offense came alive. Despite ranking last in Division I in hits (70), the Purple Eagles collected three knocks with two outs. Lindsay Mayo started with a frozen rope single into left field. Natasha Limbani then moved Mayo to second, setting up Shayna Myshrall.

On a 2-2 count, Myshrall jacked Pengel’s pitch over the center field fence, giving the Purple Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead. The knock marked Pengel’s most earned runs allowed since April 19, 2023, at Binghamton.

Although the Purple Eagles took the lead, Syracuse immediately extinguished it. Burney walked before Madelyn Lopez singled. Angie Ramos followed it with an RBI single into right field, driving in Burney while pushing Lopez to third.

Ramos then entered a rundown in an attempt to score Lopez. Niagara’s frazzled defense faltered, allowing Ramos to make it to second base without an out recorded. Taylor Posner then knotted the game at 3-3 on an RBI single.

Sydney Jackson entered the game for Pengel in the fourth, rolling through four Niagara hitters. But in the fifth, Sydney’s efforts weren’t as smooth. After Mayo walked, Gabby Lantier’s error presented a threat to the Purple Eagles. Myshrall then walked, and Julianna Verni relieved Sydney.

Verni’s dominance, alongside Knight, has helped the Orange to their best start in program history. Despite sporting a sub-two ERA, Wednesday wasn’t as trouble-free for the junior.

With bases loaded and one out, Delaney hit a ground ball to Burney, which she threw into the ground, scoring a Purple Eagles run. Sophia Marrero then doubled off the left field wall, driving in two to extend their lead to 6-3.

Fast forward to the seventh inning, SU had recorded just six hits before the frame. But this time, its offense broke through.

Ramos and Kelly Breen knocked bloop singles over Limbani at shortstop before Posner was hit. The pressure was placed on freshman Sigala in undoubtedly the biggest at-bat of her college career. Sigala prevailed, punching a two-run double into right field to cut SU’s deficit to one. The hit brought Tessa Galipeau — who hadn’t recorded an RBI in seven games — to the plate. With the count full, Galipeau roped a single into right field, plating Lauren Fox and Posner to give SU the 7-6 walk-off win in game one.

Although the victory overlooked SU’s miscues, it didn’t have time to reflect.

In game two, with an unfamiliar face on the mound in Rose Cano — who had pitched just 9.2 innings ahead of Wednesday — Syracuse again stood firm defensively. In the second inning, Mayo reached first on a Burney error, her second of the day. A Myshrall double pushed Limbani — who hit a fielder’s choice — to third, but that completed Niagara’s threat. From then on, it was all Syracuse.

SU’s scoreless first inning was disregarded by its dominant second. Sigala doubled to left before Galipeau knocked her in with another two-bagger.

“I just wanted to start something for the team. I want to make sure we can get the ball rolling, and honestly, anything helps,” Sigala said.

From there, the floodgates opened.

With a Lantier walk and Burney, Lopez and Breen singles, the Orange tallied five runs on five hits, a complete turnaround from game one, when it took until SU’s 13th batter to score.

Cano stayed strong on the mound, and the Orange produced offensively. In the third, Galipeau, Sophia Taliaferro, Burney and Lopez recorded hits alongside another Lantier walk. The effort resulted in three more runs, extending SU’s lead to 7-0.

The Orange weren’t close to done, though. They were going for the run rule in D-I softball — eight runs in five innings. They got there quickly, especially in the fourth.

SU’s offense was so dominant that it took the Purple Eagles 10 batters to record an out. The Orange tallied just two hits but walked five times before a pitching change. With Abbey Steen taken out, the Orange extended their lead to 15-0 on a seven-run inning, tying their most since March 1 against Morgan State.

Cano shined in the fifth, sealing Syracuse’s sweep. While games one and two were drastically different, one thing was clear: SU’s timely hitting paired with command in the circle ensured the job got done.

“When we get the ball rolling, there’s no way to stop us,” Sigala said.

Published on March 19, 2025 at 10:32 pm
Contact: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_