Alexa Romero pitches perfect game in 8-0 win over Sacramento State

UPDATED: Feb. 18, 2018 at 3:25 p.m.

Syracuse split its games on Saturday night against Utah and Sacramento State in the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California. In the nightcap, Alexa Romero tossed a five-inning perfect game, the second in SU’s history.

In its first game of the day, the Orange (3-2) was defeated by No. 21 Utah (3-3), 6-0, tallying just two hits and moving one runner past first base in a game dominated by the Utes. AnnaMarie Gatti started in the circle for SU and did not allow a runner on base for the first two innings before surrendering two runs in the third. After a single and hit by pitch, Utah’s Alyssa Barrera singled up the middle to give her team a 2-0 advantage.

In the circle for the Utes was Katie Donovan, who allowed two hits and struck out seven in five innings. Hailey Hilburn took care of the final two innings and allowed just one runner on base. The only Orange players to record a hit were Neli Casares-Maher and Toni Martin.

In the bottom of the fifth, Utah’s BreOnna Castaneda broke open the game with a two-run home run. Four batters later, Julia Noskin drove in Heather Bowen to extend the Utes’ lead to five. Halfway through the fifth inning, Baylee Douglass, who has been recovering from UCL surgery for the past 12 weeks, made her season debut. Gatti now owns an 0-2 record on the season.

Syracuse bounced back in its second game, defeating Sacramento State (2-4), 8-0, behind Romero’s historic nine-strikeout performance. The last no-hitter by an SU player came on Feb. 7, 2014, when Sydney O’Hara no-hit Austin Peay.

The Orange got on the board early after a two-RBI double from Casares-Maher. Two innings later, SU’s first three batters helped load the bases, and with two outs, freshman Miranda Hearn hit a bases-clearing single. After another RBI single from Hearn in the bottom of the fifth, runs driven in by Martin and Hailey Archuleta helped round out an 8-0 win for Syracuse.

SU’s fielding helped Romero preserve her perfect game by committing zero errors. In its loss to Utah, an error from shortstop Sammy Fernandez led directly to a run for the Utes.

The Orange resumes play in the Mary Nutter Classic tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. when it will face Grand Canyon and No. 5 UCLA.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the number of perfect games in Syracuse program history was misstated. Alexa Romero pitched the second perfect game in program history on Saturday. The Daily Orange regrets this error.