Sammy Fernandez sets career hits mark, Syracuse picks up 2-game sweep of Siena

Syracuse (20-17, 4-10 Atlantic Coast) swept Siena in a doubleheader at Loudonville on Wednesday afternoon. Senior AnnaMarie Gatti pitched the first game and struck out six batters in a complete game on the way to a 6-3 SU victory. In the next game, sophomore Alexa Romero started in the circle. She and freshman Miranda Hearn pitched a shutout and the game ended 7-0.

In the top of the second inning in the opener, senior Sammy Fernandez had her 207th career base hit, breaking the Syracuse record for career hits. It was previously held by Tanya Rose for 13 years.

Fernandez led off the game, starting with a groundout and sending outfielder Alicia Hansen to the plate. She was the first of five batters in the inning to walk. SU went through the entire batting order before the inning was over, recording two hits by Toni Martin and Hannah Dossett and three runs.

Siena responded with two runs in the bottom half of the first when Isabelle DeChiaro hit a two-run double.

After Fernandez’s record-breaking single in the second, no other runner for SU got on base until Hansen walked at the top of the fifth. Gabby Teran was up two batters after. She hit the ball out of the park on the left-field side for a two-run homer.

Siena scored at the bottom of the fifth and SU scored one last run in the sixth to end the first game.

Romero pitched six of seven innings in the second game. She had nine strikeouts and allowed Siena’s only hit of the game. Between her and Hearn, who pitched the final inning, no runs were scored.

Most of SU’s scoring came in the sixth after one run was scored in the fourth. It started when Teran singled and Hansen, who was on third, scored. Jessica Heese made it to third and scored on an error. Teran was on base when Rachel Burkhardt homered to score two more to put SU up 5-0. Andrea Bombace ended the scoring with a double that drove Hearn and Michala Maciolek home for the last two runs of the game.

Syracuse faces Louisville this weekend at home, starting on Friday at 4 p.m.