Syracuse softball swept in doubleheader at No. 3 Florida, Liberty

Syracuse (6-5) couldn’t produce on Friday as it lost back-to-back games to No. 3 Florida and Liberty in the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Florida.

The Orange faced No. 3 Florida (12-1) in the first game, losing 2-0. The Gators previously ranked No. 1 in the country before suffering a 4-2 loss against Maryland. UofF pitchers Aleshia Ocasio (2-0) and Kelly Barnhill shut out the Orange. Barnhill struck out seven in two and two-thirds innings. Alexa Romero (3-2) was in the circle for Syracuse, allowing only five hits in five innings. But she gave up seven walks to Florida.

The Orange struggled to get anyone on base, for no one on the team drew a walk and Rachel Burkhardt, who pinch hit, was the only Syracuse player to not strike out.

The offense continued to struggle against Liberty (6-4) in a 3-1 loss. Julia DiMartino shut down the Orange for four innings of relief, allowing only three hits. The Orange wound up with eight hits and drew four walks, but they left 12 runners on base.

SU junior right-hander AnnaMarie Gatti had little defensive support, as the Orange committed three errors, resulting in two unearned runs. Faith Cain and Hannah Dossett were the only Orange players to consistently reach base, as they both had two hits and drew a walk.

The Orange plays an exhibition against the Czech Republic National Team on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. Then SU faces Lehigh at 5:45 p.m.