SU remains winless vs. ranked opponents with 13-5 loss to No. 25 Louisville
Syracuse led 5-0 in the fifth inning but allowed 10 fifth-inning runs en route to a 13-5 mercy-rule loss to No. 25 Louisville Friday. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Eleven game cancellations. Eleven doubleheaders. An Atlantic Coast Conference-worst .235 batting average. A measly 4-12 record in ACC play entering Friday.
Some factors are Syracuse’s fault while others aren’t, but there’s no denying SU’s 2026 campaign has been a disaster. But arguably the most alarming aspect of its season is how incompetent it’s been against ranked opponents.
The Orange were mercy-ruled 15-2 by then-No. 12 South Carolina on Feb. 6. One week later, Syracuse fell 14-0 to then-No. 2 Texas in five innings. In its first ACC series against then-No. 10 Florida State from March 13-15, SU was outscored 36-8 across three non-competitive losses.
With their postseason hopes hanging by a thread entering a Friday clash with No. 25 Louisville, the Orange had an opportunity to win their first ranked game since beating then-No. 16 Duke on March 15, 2025.
Unsurprisingly, they fell short. Syracuse (18-21, 4-13 ACC) was mercy-ruled 13-5 by Louisville (39-10, 14-5 ACC) Friday, plunging to 0-8 against ranked teams in 2026. The Orange led 5-0 entering the bottom of the fifth but allowed 13 runs across the final two innings en route to the blowout. The loss marks SU’s sixth in its last seven games against the Cardinals.
The gap between Syracuse and Louisville couldn’t have been much wider coming into Friday. The Cardinals had the third-most hits in the conference with 467, while SU had the fewest with 228. Louisville had the fourth-most runs in the ACC with 364, while the Orange ranked last with 149.
But by glancing at the scoreboard early Friday, you’d probably think it was the other way around.
Syracuse’s offense got to Louisville starting pitcher Alyssa Zabala early. After a Vanessa Flores double, Kendall Gaunt blasted a two-run homer to put SU up 2-0.
With two outs in the third inning, Flores snuck a home run just inside the left field line to extend Syracuse’s lead to 3-0. It was Flores’ first long ball of the season.
Julianna Verni probably wants to forget her last two starts against ranked teams. In an 11-6 loss to FSU on March 15, Verni allowed six runs before recording an out. Six days later, against then-No. 18 Virginia, the senior walked three batters and surrendered three runs in under four innings.
Friday seemed to be a different story to start. Fresh off a complete game in SU’s 6-2 win over Buffalo Tuesday, Verni quieted a ferocious Cardinals offense early on.
After weaving out of trouble in the second inning, Verni retired the side in the third. The senior struck out Riley Janda looking before getting Chelsea Mack and Easton Lotus to fly out.
Trouble was brewing in the bottom of the fourth. Bri Despines and Madison Pickens walked, putting two Cardinals on base with one out. But just as she did in the second inning, Verni got out of trouble and kept Louisville scoreless.
With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, Flores’ sacrifice fly scored Gabby Lantier to put SU up 4-0. After a Gaunt walk, Kaimi Tulua’s flyout drove in Madison Knight to make it 5-0.
Verni was dealing. SU’s offense was stringing together quality at-bats. Everything was swinging in Syracuse’s favor. It was just nine outs away from a marquee conference win.
Until everything unraveled in the blink of an eye.
Verni began to run out of gas, and Louisville capitalized. With the bases loaded, Despines belted a grand slam over the center field wall to trim its deficit to just one. Despines entered Friday hitting .406 with six homers in 2026, and her offensive prowess provided the Cardinals a much-needed jolt in the bottom of the fifth.
The home run prompted SU head coach Shannon Doepking to turn to Knight in the circle, but her decision didn’t help. Jordan Williams drove in the game-tying run with a single before doubles from Taylor Monroe and Ava Venturelli gave Louisville its first lead of the game at 8-5. Knight didn’t record a single out.
Doepking then moved to Sydney Jackson out of her bullpen. After Mack’s sacrifice fly and a Lotus RBI, the Cardinals stormed ahead 10-5. SU couldn’t respond. Lauren Fox struck out. Taylor Davison flew out. Knight hit a weak popout. All of Syracuse’s life was gone.
After the Orange’s porous hitting effort in the top of the sixth inning, Venturelli’s three-run triple sealed the deal in the bottom of the frame. What was shaping up to be a monumental upset ended in familiar territory for Syracuse — a mercy-rule loss against a ranked opponent.
It’s an all-too-familiar feeling for Doepking. With SU’s track record against ranked competition as horrific as it is, Friday was likely its best chance of pulling off a stunning upset in the series. Instead, the Orange squandered it.
