Slow starts spark Syracuse’s 1-8 start to ACC play
Through Syracuse’s first nine ACC games, it’s scored in the first inning in only one game compared to 11 games in nonconference play. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer
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At the start of the season, everything was going right for Syracuse softball. It started a program-best 11-0. The last time the Orange even came close to that mark was in 2022, when they opened 6-0. But once Atlantic Coast Conference play began, that momentum quickly faded.
Since then, Syracuse has looked deflated. It’s tried to do everything perfectly, pitcher Madison Knight said, but recent losses have proven SU is far from perfect.
The Orange’s early success relied on dominant pitching and timely offense. At one point, SU owned the second-best ERA in Division I (1.14). Fast starts and strong finishes became the winning formula — until ACC competition exposed the cracks.
Since beginning ACC play, Syracuse (19-11, 1-8 Atlantic Coast) has scored just once in the first inning, which came in its sole ACC win over then-No. 17 Duke on March 15. In nonconference play, the Orange scored in the first inning 11 times, winning nine. But ACC struggles have dropped SU to 13th of 15 teams in the conference standings.
Finding offensive consistency early in games could be key to Syracuse becoming one of 12 teams to reach the ACC Tournament.
“Realizing what our game is and sticking to that, I think it’s just going back to the drawing board and (playing) small ball,” Knight said after SU’s 15-0 loss to Clemson on Sunday.
Dakota Dorsey | Design Editor
Syracuse hasn’t finished in the top half of the ACC standings since COVID-19 interrupted the 2020 season. So, a 16-3 record entering conference play this year wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card. But fueled by dominant pitching and aggressive starts, the Orange looked formidable.
That is, until they opened ACC play in Palo Alto, California, against then-No. 20 Stanford. SU had already lost to then-No. 9 Georgia 3-1 and 8-2, but had shown sparks of competing with the upper-echelon of D-I.
Against Stanford, though, those hopes disappeared quickly. In the first inning of the series opener, SU put two runners on base via hit-by-pitches but couldn’t plate either. Stanford proceeded to take control of the game.
After SU went down in order in the second inning, the Cardinal tacked on four runs in the bottom half. It was the most runs Knight had allowed in a game this season.
“We knew coming in that (ACC play) was going to be our toughest,” Knight said. “I think it’s just limiting them as much as possible, and it’s just hard to (do).”
Game two versus the Cardinal followed a similar script. Julianna Verni, unbeaten at 7-0, took the circle, but without early offensive support — just one baserunner in the first three innings — SU fell behind quickly. Stanford built a four-run lead and never looked back.
After tallying zero hits in the first three innings of games one and two, the series finale felt like a last chance to show Syracuse could hang with the ACC’s elite. Instead, things got worse. The Orange were shut out for the first time in 2025, falling 9-0. SU didn’t record a hit until the fourth inning and was outscored 18-4 in the series — its worst run differential since falling on the short end of a 30-4 scoring margin against Clemson in April 2024.
“This is a game, and sometimes it rewards you with all your hard work, and sometimes it punches you in the face,” Knight said. “Just getting on base, moving runners. It’s just those quality at-bats that we need.”
At 0-3 in ACC play, Syracuse found itself in a familiar hole — matching its conference start from 2024, when it finished 9-15. But, its opener against then-No. 17 Duke was a step in the right direction.
Knight kept the Orange close, but a Duke two-run home run in the ninth sealed Syracuse’s 3-1 loss.
Syracuse was again plagued by missed chances and silent bats in game two. After Angie Ramos hit a two-out double in the first, SU couldn’t capitalize. Duke rolled to a 6-0 win, completing the doubleheader sweep.
Finally, in game three on March 15, Syracuse returned to the win column. While Syracuse ranks 14th in the ACC with 12 home runs, Madelyn Lopez’s first inning two-run homer — SU’s first since March 1 against Morgan State — set the tone. Backed by strong pitching, the Orange held on for their first conference win.
With momentum building, the Orange swept a midweek doubleheader over Niagara, scoring five runs across the first two innings — a clear reminder of how they need to win. But returning to ACC play, Syracuse’s offense was nonexistent against Clemson. It was outscored 33-1 across three games and blanked in 15-0 and 10-0 losses.
“When you get knocked down like this, you have to be tough, be gritty and just be competitive,” Verni said. “It’s better competition. We have to be able to show up against teams that are even better than the teams we’ve played.”
The Orange’s inability to start fast has defined their 1-8 ACC record. With five conference series left, SU’s ACC Tournament hopes are in doubt. If its early-game struggles persist, the hope Syracuse built in nonconference play may not amount to postseason success.
