Syracuse falls in extra innings as Georgia Tech completes series sweep

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With the game tied at one, Georgia Tech had two runners in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Syracuse brought in Kaia Oliver at the pitcher’s circle to start the inning, but she walked the first batter she faced. In her last two games, Oliver has either walked or hit batters with a pitch in half of the batters she’s faced, along with three wild pitches.

She needed one more out to send the game to the 10th inning, but her pitch flew past catcher Laila Alves, and Georgia Tech’s Kennedy Cowden ran home from third base to win the game.

Syracuse (17-12, 1-8 Atlantic Coast) fell 2-1 to Georgia Tech (23-9, 5-7 ACC) completing the weekend sweep. After winning seven consecutive nonconference games, the Orange have now lost three straight and sit at last place in the ACC. In each game of the series, the Orange twice held a lead over the Yellow Jackets and lost by two runs at most in each.

Lindsey Hendrix and Georgia Tech’s Blake Neleman were in a pitching duel to start the game. Neither team scored in the first four innings as the two teams combined for four hits. But Syracuse still managed scoring opportunities. In the top of the second, the Orange left two runners on base, and Hendrix retired the side in the bottom of the third with two Yellow Jacket runners in scoring position.

After both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, Syracuse broke through in the fifth. Olivia Pess poked a leadoff hit between Georgia Tech’s right and center fielder and then reached second on a fielding error. Then, Alves hit a 3-2 pitch to center field, and Pess sprinted all the way home for the first run of the game. The inning ended abruptly after Neli Casares-Maher hit a grounder to third that the Yellow Jackets turned into a double play.

Hendrix stayed strong in the fifth, putting out two straight batters and catching Auburn Dupree trying to steal third. But Syracuse couldn’t manage a hit in the sixth and after 92 pitches, Hendrix started to show signs of fatigue. She walked two batters in a row and head coach Shannon Doepking brought in Ariana Adams, who forced two weak grounders to end the inning.

In the seventh inning, Adams put the tying run on first by walking the leadoff batter in four pitches. Dupree then dropped a ball to center field just out of Paris Woods’ reach, landing in front of her. But Woods let the ball skip past her, and a routine single turned into a tie game, leaving Dupree on third.

Kelly Breen then entered the game. Ella Edgmon hit a grounder right to her at second base, and Breen saw Dupree running home. She threw out Dupree at the plate and let Edgmon take first. Then Mallorie Black hit a grounder right to Casares-Maher at shortstop, which she turned for a double play to send the game to extra innings.

That’s when Georgia Tech put in pitcher Chandler Dennis, who didn’t allow a Syracuse hit in relief on Friday. Even though she threw a 1-2-3 inning against Syracuse in the top of the eighth, Adams did the same to the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the inning. But, the Orange still couldn’t hit in the ninth.

Once Adams allowed her second hit of the day to kick off the inning, she was pulled for Oliver. Oliver walked the first batter she faced to put runners on first and second. Dupree stepped up to the plate with one out and laid down a sacrifice bunt right to Oliver. Dupree was thrown out at first, but now two runners were in scoring position.

Edgmon made her way to the batter’s box with the ability to end the game with one clean hit. But Oliver threw her wild pitch, and Cowden ran home to seal the win for Georgia Tech.

Syracuse returns to action against Pitt on Friday at 3 p.m. in its first home game of the season. The Orange will get a chance to get back on track, as the teams have the two worst records in the conference.