Softball Looks To Down Orange

After sweeping Penn in back-to-back doubleheaders over the weekend, the softball team’s blinders are set on its next games down the road in Syracuse. The Red will face the Orange (19-10, 8-4 Big East) in a doubleheader scheduled for today at 3:30 p.m., at SU Softball Stadium.
Syracuse has won its last three games, the most recent of which came against Canisius on Monday in a doubleheader sweep. In the first contest, sophomore Angie Sagnelli pitched a complete game to improve to 5-1 on the season; the Orange outhit the Golden Griffins, 11-5, and notched seven RBIs –– good for a 9-2 win.
In Game 2 freshman Jenna Caira pitched the second no-hitter this season and fourth in program history; Syracuse cruised to an 8-0 victory to secure head coach Leigh Ross’ 300th career win, and sophomore Rachel Helman went 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs and an RBI.
Freshman Stephanie Watts leads the team with a .375 batting average, and is one of three players to have started all 34 games this season. Watts is also a threat on the bases, having gone 14-for-16 in steal attempts to match teammate Jamie Kelling.
“Syracuse is a good hitting ball club,” said junior shortstop Alyson Intihar. “The games will be good for fine tuning and preparing us for the remaining Ivies.”
The series between Syracuse and Cornell stands at 8-8, with Cornell having won the last three matchups. The last time the Orange came out on top against the Red was in 2006, when it swept a doubleheader, 6-2, 6-1.
“It is always nice to put a game in midweek to break up practice, and Syracuse should be a challenge,” added sophomore pitcher Elizabeth Dalrymple.
“At this point in the season, there is not much you can gain from practice,” Intihar said. “The team learns more from games. Those competitive situations are really valuable.”