Syracuse swept in doubleheader by Cal, misses ACC Tournament
Despite Madison Knight’s 180-plus pitch game two outing, Syracuse's season ended Saturday after it was swept by Cal in a doubleheader. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer
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After losing 7-0 to California Friday, Syracuse head coach Shannon Doepking held an extended team meeting.
The Orange came into Friday riding a five-game win streak, scoring 28 runs across a series sweep over Boston College to put themselves in position to qualify for the ACC Tournament with a win over the Golden Bears. Yet, after falling flat on their faces against Cal, Doepking had no choice but to call the meeting.
Emotions were high. Doepking was obviously unsatisfied with the loss and expressed her displeasure with the team’s performance. But she also said something that resonated with the team.
“What stuck to us was, ‘Just fight,’” Vanessa Flores said postgame Saturday. “‘Give it your all, put your body on the line and just go out like that.’”
Initially, it looked like Syracuse (27-22, 6-18 Atlantic Coast) wasn’t going to go out with a fight at all, as it lost 9-0 to Cal (35-18, 11-13 Atlantic Coast) in the first leg of its Saturday doubleheader. But in the second leg, the Orange heeded Doepking’s advice, battling through 11 innings of play in their 4-2 loss to the Golden Bears. The defeats leave Syracuse on the outskirts of the ACC Tournament in 13th place, ending its season without postseason play.
“We obviously knew we had to win one this weekend,” Flores said. “So going into the second game, we just fought. Fought for our seniors, fought to get into the ACC Tournament.”
In game one, Julianna Verni started on the bump for the Orange. But her final appearance of the season got off to a rocky start. She struggled with control issues, walking Lagi Quiroga and hitting Acacia Anders to put two runners on for Tianna Bell.
Those mistakes immediately punished Syracuse. Bell crushed Verni’s offering over the left field fence to give the Golden Bears an instant 3-0 lead.
She recovered quickly after, giving the Orange a chance to trim the deficit. But SU’s offense was nowhere to be found throughout the contest.
Jadyn Burney reached in the first inning with an infield single down the third base line. She then hit a flare shot to center for a single in the third. And in the fifth, she notched her third hit of the game with a bunt single.
The problem? She accounted for three of Syracuse’s four hits before the sixth inning.
Kayla Sigala and Rose Cano added two more hits in the sixth inning, but it was too little, too late.
By that point, Syracuse was at risk of getting run-ruled. The Golden Bears pounced on Verni again in the fifth, starting with Kayli Counts, who drove in Kaylee Pond with a single.
A ground ball brought in Mika Lee soon after to make it 5-0, and Tessa Galipeau’s errant throw to third tacked on a sixth run for Cal.
Verni was replaced by Sydney Jackson in the sixth, but the move didn’t help matters. Jackson allowed three more runs in the frame, as Cal went on to win 9-0.
Everyone at Skytop Softball Stadium knew Syracuse’s season would end if it lost game two, and Madison Knight was no exception. So, she did everything she could to put the team on her back.
Despite letting up a first-inning home run to Anders, Knight remained unfazed throughout the contest. She pitched 11 innings, throwing upwards of 180 pitches as she tried to will the Orange to victory.
“Madison Knight’s gonna give it her all,” Flores said. “She can give up a home run in the first inning. The next inning, she’s coming lights out.”
The offense tried its best to support her. Madelyn Lopez started the game with a walk, and Burney continued her streak with another single.
But Flores instantly killed the rally. Her ensuing ground ball found Nailyn Marshall, who stepped on third for a forceout and quickly threw to Mia Phillips at second. Phillips, in turn, fired a bullet to first to get Flores out for an inning-ending triple play.
It wasn’t the only web gem the Golden Bears had in the game. The next inning, Taylor Posner singled to bring up Knight with a chance to give herself an early lead. Knight’s fly ball to center field looked like it would land over the fence. But Lee jumped at the wall, robbing Knight of a potential two-run home run.
Knight got a chance to redeem herself in the sixth when she reached on a single. Galipeau and Breen followed with singles, bringing up Laila Morales-Alves with the bases loaded. Her sacrifice fly drove in Knight for SU’s first run of the series, giving it the offensive momentum it needed to force extras.
The seventh inning started with a one-out Flores single, and it was followed by Posner and Knight reaching on errors by Nailyn Marshall. Galipeau’s sacrifice grounder nearly ended the game with a double play, but it was overturned on review to tie the contest at 2-2.
Four innings later, Quiroga demolished an offering from Knight for a two-run homer. Knight had given all she could to SU, and the fatigue had finally caught up to her.
But even though it was in defeat, it was a performance that Doepking could be proud of. After all, Knight put her body on the line for the Orange.
“She can do it all for us,” Flores said. “That’s one person on your team that every coach wants on their team.”
