Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Syracuse
Softball Swept By Orangewomen
April 20, 2002 | Softball
April 20, 2002
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Boston College dropped a pair of doubleheaders to BIG EAST rival Syracuse - 5-1 and 6-5 (14 inn.) on Saturday at Skytop Stadium. With the losses, BC fell to 18-22 overall and 7-5 in BIG EAST play. Syracuse improved to 19-13 and 7-1 in conference action.
In game one, Syracuse jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as the team hit three singles and two doubles in the frame off Eagle starter Tekae Malandris. BC got back within two runs in the next half inning when Erin Mackey singled in Jen Asbury.
The Eagles had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the third inning, but Orangewoman starter Heather Brown struck out one batter, forced a pop out and drew an infield force to get out of the jam.
Syracuse added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double and a sacrifice fly to go on to the 5-1 victory.
Malandris took the loss, pitching 6.0 innings and allowed five runs, three earned. She surrendered 10 hits while striking out three. Brown went the distance and struck out eight while allowing one run on seven hits.
In game two, the Eagles struck first posting three runs in the top of the third. With Lisa Field and Leah Kamataris on with two outs, Mackey drew a walk to load the bases. Cara Blumfield was hit by a pitch for the second of three times on the day to score a run. Jacqui Goodchild's double down the left field line drove in two more as the team went ahead 3-0.
BC added another run in the top of the fifth - when Goodchild's bunt single plated Michelle Daly - but Syracuse pulled within one run in the bottom half of the inning. Katie Kaempfer's double to left center set up Tonya Rose, who doubled down the left field line to bring in Kaempfer. Nikki Lincoln singled and brought in two to bring the team to just a 4-3 deficit.
The Eagles increased the lead to two runs in the seventh inning when Sara Kellner came home on a passed ball. Erin Mackey started the inning with a double to left center, then was replaced on the base path by Kellner, before Blumfield sacrificed Kellner over to third to set up the scoring play.
Syracuse forced the extra innings in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs, Park singled with one out, and then was replaced by Sura Katz. Katz scored on Rose's single to left, then Cheryl Julicher - who had earlier walked - scored on Lincoln's infield single.
Julicher proved to be the hero for the Orangemen in the bottom of the 14th with a walk-off home run off of Malandris, who had entered in the ninth.
BC had an opportunities to take the game in the eighth, 11th, 12th and 13th when the team had at least one runner in scoring position, but the team could not bring in the game-winning run. Syracuse also threatened in the 11th with a runner on third with no outs, but a series of infield outs kept the runner from advancing.
Kim Ryan started the game and went 8.0 innings. She gave up five runs on 10 hits. She struck out four and walked six. Malandris pitched 5.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits. She also struck out one batter. Syracuse used a trio of pitchers, starting with Tara DiMaggio. She went 4.0 inning and allowed four runs on seven hits. Taylor Peterson went 2.0 innings before Brown entered to earn the win in 8.0 scoreless innings.
Boston College will next face Connecticut in another league twinbill on Sunday, April 21 in Storrs, Conn.
