Lindsey Hendrix, Kelly Breen shine in doubleheader sweep of Pittsburgh

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Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth and still yet to record a hit, time was running out for Syracuse to battle back against Pittsburgh in Saturday’s first game. But with one out, Neli Casares-Maher launched freshman pitcher Dani Drogemuller’s pitch off the wall in right center field for a double.

Angel Jasso stepped into the batter’s box next, looking to build momentum. She hit a dribbler down the line that seemed destined to end up as a harmless groundout. But after a collision with Pitt’s first baseman knocked the ball loose, Jasso reached first base safely while Casares-Maher moved to third.

They wouldn’t stay on first and third for long, though, as a perfectly-executed double steal put Jasso on second and the Orange on the board, now trailing 3-1. And after Tessa Galipeau was hit by a pitch, Syracuse had the tying run on base.

Kelly Breen, who had already made a significant impact in the field throughout the game, was up next. And after she ripped a double off the wall in left center, the game was tied.

Timely hitting played a big part in Syracuse’s (19-12, 3-8 Atlantic Coast) success in its home opener on Saturday afternoon, as the Orange swept Pittsburgh (12-16, 1-9 ACC) in a two-game doubleheader, winning the first game 5-4 and the second 1-0.

After the Orange gained momentum from the bottom of the sixth inning, the Panthers answered back by regaining the lead. An error and a walk put runners on first and second base when Rachael Fuerst hit a ball off the top of the left field wall, driving in the go-ahead run. But once the throw came into second, Breen fired the ball home and caught the runner trying to score, keeping the Panthers’ lead at 4-3.

The Orange were down to their final chance in the bottom of the seventh inning when Laila Alves got on base with an infield single. Olivia Pess pinch-ran for Alves, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by Geana Torres.

Paris Woods came through with a line drive down the third base line that she turned into a triple, tying the game and putting the Orange in prime position to win. Casares-Maher followed her with a walk, with Jasso up next to drive in the winning runs.

But before the Orange could put the ball in play, a passed ball allowed Woods to comfortably swipe home, securing SU’s 5-4 win in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Breen’s fielding kept Syracuse in the second game on multiple occasions, the first of which came in the first inning. With two outs and runners on second and third base, Yvonne Whaley hit a hard ground ball that looked like it would slip into the outfield. But Breen reached down to her right and snagged it before firing to first, keeping the Panthers from getting on the board before the Orange even had a chance to bat.

Later, it was Breen’s throw in the seventh inning that kept Pittsburgh’s lead to only one run and allowed the Orange to come away with the walk-off win in the bottom of the frame.

Ariana Adams produced a solid outing, pitching a complete game and allowing four runs, only one of which was earned. She also gave up eight hits and struck out five Panthers while walking three.

Drogemuller was also dominant throughout the first five frames, but the Orange got to her in the sixth and seventh innings. She finished with five runs allowed (three earned) on four hits in 6.1 innings to go along with nine strikeouts.

In the second game, pitching helped Syracuse as Hendrix tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits — both dribbling ground balls that didn’t leave the infield — in the win. She also struck out 12 Panthers, surpassing her previous career-high of nine.

Pittsburgh struggled to even threaten to score, garnering only five base runners the entire game. In the third inning, Kylie Griggs reached third on a passed ball with two outs. But Hendrix struck Sarah Seamans out swinging to end the inning.

With Pittsburgh down to their final at-bats, Fuerst reached first on an infield single and was pinch-run for by Katlyn Pavlick. With two outs and Pavlick on first, Kayla Lane ripped a fly ball to left field. But Carli Campbell tracked it down, securing the win for Syracuse.

The Orange’s lone run came in the third inning after Casares-Maher landed on third base following two rundowns on one play — the first of which led to Woods being tagged out between third base and home.

Jasso came up to hit, but the first pitch Ally Muraskin threw to her was wild, and Casares-Maher safely stole home to give the Orange a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.

The Orange mustered five hits against Muraskin, who pitched six innings and struck out two. Galipeau fell only a few feet short of a grand slam in the fifth inning, but Bailey Drapola made the catch just in front of the wall to end the inning.

The Panthers have not won a game over the Orange since 2019, a streak that Syracuse will look to continue Sunday in the series finale at Skytop.