Syracuse no-hit twice in back-to-back losses to Virginia
Across 13 innings Saturday, Syracuse was no-hit twice by Virginia, falling 5-0 and 10-0 in its doubleheader. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
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No-hitters are rare in Division I softball. The last time Syracuse accomplished the feat was a 6-0 win over Cornell on April 26, 2023. On the flip side, the Orange were last held hitless in a 10-0 loss to Florida State on March 17, 2023.
Still, all it takes is one off day at the plate for a no-hitter to unfold. It’s rarely expected — but never impossible. And despite Syracuse enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory in 2025, Saturday marked a new low for the Orange.
Hampered by a silent afternoon at the plate, Syracuse (22-18, 3-14 Atlantic Coast) dropped both games to Virginia (29-13, 10-7 Atlantic Coast), falling 5-0 and 10-0. The Orange were held hitless in both games against the Cavaliers, totaling just seven baserunners across the two contests, hitting a new low on the campaign.
Behind starters Madison Knight and Julianna Verni, it often hasn’t mattered how SU’s offense performed. However, Verni and Knight’s dominance was most present in nonconference play. Now, with Syracuse buried in ACC competition, its offense needs to hold up its end of the bargain. And Saturday against Virginia, the Orange did far from that.
Game one started as poorly as possible. Following a Jadyn Burney ground out, Madelyn Lopez worked a six-pitch walk, giving SU an early baserunner. However, Vanessa Flores and Taylor Posner were then retired, ending Syracuse’s threat.
When Virginia came to the dish, it immediately jumped on Knight. Entering Saturday, Knight had pitched three complete-game shutouts. She hoped game one would mark No. 4. Instead, it was anything but.
Jade Hylton started with a leadoff walk before getting pushed 60 feet forward from a sacrifice bunt. She soon scored after a Macee Eaton double to left field, propelling UVA into the driver’s seat.
It didn’t slow down there. Kelsey Hackett began the second inning with a single before Hylton reached again via a walk. Kelly Ayer drove them both in on a one-bagger before arriving at second base courtesy of a Lopez error.
After that, the floodgates narrowed. The Cavaliers collected two hits from the third to fifth innings, but Syracuse’s defense held them scoreless. Still, SU’s offense managed just one baserunner during that span, incapable of scoring runs.
The Orange finally had a scoring opportunity in the sixth. After Knight walked, she was replaced on the basepaths by Gabby Lantier. Burney grounded out to move Lantier to second before she cruised into third on a wild pitch. But, with just one out, Flores popped out and Posner grounded out, wiping out SU’s threat.
With Knight still in the circle, Sydney Hartgrove reached on a four-pitch walk. Mary Caroline Eaton then homered to left field, marking Knight’s eighth longball allowed this season. Knight eventually got out of the inning, but the damage was done.
Besides an Angie Ramos walk in the seventh inning, SU was retired, losing game one 5-0 behind an uncharacteristic no-hit performance.
Entering game two, Syracuse was in a low-pressure position. Almost anything was better than what had previously happened. However, the Orange defied those odds and returned to rock bottom.
SU’s first inning performance was forgettable, with Flores’ walk surrounded by Burney’s strikeout, Lopez’s line out and Posner’s fielder’s choice. Virginia answered in the bottom half, stringing together three straight singles before Sarah Coon’s grand slam blew the game open and put the Cavaliers firmly in control.
The Orange went down in order in the second and fourth innings, with the third inning — where Lantier reached on a fielding error by Alex Call — sandwiched in the middle. However, even when Syracuse couldn’t produce offense, Virginia could.
UVA exploded in the third, with eight hitters reaching base. Hartgrove walked before Mary Caroline matched her. Hackett then tapped an infield single to third base before Kailyn Jones ripped a single back at Verni she couldn’t handle.
Jones’ at-bat ended Verni’s day as Jackie Pengel entered the game. She wasn’t much better. On Pengel’s fifth pitch, Hylton doubled to left-center field, plating Hackett and Mary Caroline. Ayer then hit a sac fly to left, giving UVA its fourth run of the inning and extending its lead to 8-0.
Macee then singled, scoring Bella Cabral and Hylton to give the Cavaliers their largest lead of the day at 10-0. The Orange’s deficit was so large that they faced a potential mercy rule.
And in the sixth inning, Ramos, Kelly Breen and Laila Morales-Alves were retired to end SU’s horrid day.
The score triggered the run-rule, sealing a second-straight no-hitter and handing Syracuse one of its most humbling doubleheader defeats in program history. For a team that’s shown flashes of greatness this season, Saturday served as a harsh reminder: even in a year of progress, the margin for error in ACC play remains razor-thin.
