Syracuse swept 5-1, 10-0 by NC State in doubleheader
Kendall Gaunt went 0-for-2 at the plate Sunday, as Syracuse was swept in a doubleheader against NC State. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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Don’t ask Shannon Doepking what her team’s plan at the plate was. Because from her vantage point, there wasn’t any.
“Clearly we didn’t have one,” Doepking told 247Sports. “If we had one, we probably would’ve hit the ball a little bit better. It’s the fact that I don’t think we stuck to anything.”
It’s a fair assessment from the eighth-year head coach. Syracuse (11-14, 0-7 ACC) logged just six hits to NC State’s (21-14, 3-5 ACC) 24 across 5-1 and 10-0 losses Sunday. It was a stark contrast to its performance last week against Virginia, when the Orange and Cavaliers each finished with three home runs. Jadyn Burney led Syracuse with two hits in Sunday’s second game, which Doepking referred to as SU’s “most consistency” as of late.
Despite Syracuse’s offensive woes, the Orange thrived in another aspect during the first game.
Fielding, specifically three double plays in the first, second and sixth innings, delineated the difference between a narrow four-run loss consisting of walks and opposing errors and its sixth run-ruling of the season.
It’s how, despite not logging a hit until the sixth inning, Syracuse got on the scoreboard first.
Erika Zamora shut down the Wolfpack’s first-inning rally with an unassisted double play that caught NC State’s Lily Livingston out at third and Hannah Church at first.
Wolfpack pitcher Morgen Talley opened the bottom of the first by hitting Burney with a pitch. The shortstop promptly stole second to put herself in scoring position, but hope of an early run seemed lost when Harmony Jackson struck out and Madison Knight popped out after her.
Then, Vanessa Flores stepped to the plate. Flores hit a dribbler down the right-field foul line, and Burney scored. The run was Syracuse’s only on the day.
Although NC State loaded the bases in the second with three consecutive singles from Talley, Makayla Marbury and Taryn Massey, Teagan Thrunk’s subsequent infield fly set the stage for an inning-ending play. Kendall Gaunt caught Carly Short’s line drive and threw Marbury out at second to swipe another scoring chance from the Wolfpack.
But airtight fielding only works when the ball stays in play.
Maia Townsend opened the top of the third with a single and a steal to put the Wolfpack in scoring position for the third straight inning. And Livingston, who finished 3-for-3, ended SU’s early escapes. She smacked a two-run homer into the trees behind Skytop Softball Stadium.
SU’s third and final double play came in the sixth, following a fourth and fifth frame that saw just one NC State hit. It was an unassisted double play by Lauren Fox, who dove to tag the incoming runner. The out capped a three-run inning for the Wolfpack, during which SU made two errors.
By the time Flores marked SU’s first hit with a single to right field in the bottom of the sixth, the contest was already out of reach.
But when play began in Game 2, the Orange seemingly ameliorated their prior faults. They put hits together after Townsend, Livingston and Kendall Simmers singled to hand SU a 2-0 first-inning deficit.
Burney led the inning off with a single but was out at second after Flores’ fielder’s choice. Knight followed with a double, and Kaimi Tulua walked. Yet, Taylor Davison and Madelyn Lopez failed to capitalize. Syracuse’s bats went cold, and the Orange didn’t have a better chance until trailing 10 in the fifth inning.
SU didn’t have more than four plate appearances in any of the three frames in between. NC State pitcher Rylee Wyman retired all but Lopez, whose lone single in the bottom of the fourth was supposedly the response to NC State’s nine hits and eight runs in the span.
Those eight runs stemmed from consistent Wolfpack hitting. NC State’s Talley hit a two-run homer in the top of the third, while Knight’s fielding error at first base put Marbury on and kept the rally going.
Short singled to right field to open the top of the fourth, then stole both second and third, knocking on SU’s door. Syracuse’s Julianna Verni walked Townsend next, her second of the day, which catalyzed a pitching switch to Sydney Jackson. But the sophomore didn’t fare much better.
Just 17 pitches later, a Talley single, a Marbury walk and a Massey double put the Wolfpack up 10, and Jackson was replaced by Jackie Pengel.
Pengel limited NC State in the fourth and fifth, and the Orange finally pieced together their offense in the final frame.
Burney followed a Kayla Sigala groundout, and Gabby Lantier doubled and advanced to third on a passed ball. Flores walked before Knight had a chance to avoid the Orange’s sixth mercy-rule loss.
It seemed she could. Knight fouled off four pitches, but she eventually struck out, marking the second time SU left runners in scoring position Sunday.
“It’s tough to have timely hitting when you struggle to hit in general,” Doepking said.
