Erin Gray wanted to dive the entire game. The third baseman didn’t care to which side or when.

She picked a good time to get her jersey dirty.

‘Honestly I can’t remember why I decided to dive,’ Gray said. ‘I just love big plays. I was glad I could make a difference.’

Gray’s diving stop and throw in the seventh inning in the second game of a doubleheader against Hofstra was just one of many superb defensive plays Syracuse made behind strong pitching en route to a 2-1 victory and sweep of the Pride in front of 109 at SU Softball Stadium. The Orange won the first game, 5-0.

‘That was awesome,’ Syracuse pitcher Alexis Switenko said of Gray’s diving play. ‘That was ESPN. It was amazing. She’s being doing great over there and it was nice to end with that.’

SU (26-15) turned two double plays earlier in the second game on foul balls caught in left and right field. The first one was turned by right fielder Rachel Tilford, when she made a running catch past the foul line and got the ball to first baseman Heather Kim before the Pride runner could get back.

The second double play came in the third inning when Tonye McCorkle caught a fly ball in deep left foul territory and then threw out Erika Bernstein, who was trying to advance to third on the sacrifice fly. Joanna Kralowetz scored the only run of the day for Hofstra (23-11) before Bernstein was tagged out at third.

The lone Pride run snapped a 22-inning scoreless streak for SU opponents. Counting Wednesday’s sweep against Niagara, the Orange recorded shutouts in three straight games, a feat no SU team had accomplished since 2002.

Just two wins short of tying the team record of 28 set last season, SU will resume Big East play at home on Saturday in a doubleheader against Pittsburgh.

‘Everything’s clicking,’ SU head coach Mary Jo Firnbach said. ‘These girls are playing ball and that’s all I can ask for.’

Switenko got help in the field from her teammates, but it was the senior jack-of-all-trades who lifted SU offensively. Her opposite field home run in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie and Switenko made it stand up in the circle, allowing just one base runner and zero hits for the rest of the way.

It was Switenko’s 14th home run of the season, raising her total runs batted in to 30. In the circle she is now 10-1 with a 2.45 ERA.

‘Alexis always comes up with the big hit no matter what,’ Gray said. ‘She’s always the one you want up there. When we need it out, she’ll get it out. When we need a base hit, she’ll get the hit.’

The Orange has scored early and often all season long and Thursday against Hofstra was no exception.

McCorkle led off both games and got on base in both, with a walk and a single. She scored SU’s first run twice, both times knocked in by Kim singles. The two runs batted in by Kim set a record for single-season RBI by a Syracuse freshman (29).

The Orange scored three runs in the first inning of the first game and one in the second. SU has outscored its opponents 59-18 in the first inning this season.

‘We keep scoring first, that’s been helpful for us,’ Switenko said. ‘But the confidence of this team, regardless of what the score is, is great.’

That confidence is eased along by knowing the Orange will send either Erin Downey or Switenko to the mound, both of whom have found continuous success in the circle.

‘You never want two pitchers that look exactly the same or have the same velocity,’ Firnbach said. ‘You always want a different look and Alexis has given us a different look for Erin. It’s made Erin better and Erin has made Alexis better.’

Downey pitched a complete game shutout in the first game, the ninth of her career. She struck out eight Pride batters, raising her season total to 210, the new SU single-season record. Tara DiMaggio struck out 208 in 2000.

‘Erin has done a phenomenal job setting the tone early in the first games,’ Firnbach said. ‘Then we bring Alexis in the second game and it’s a change.’

One thing Downey and Switenko can share is the stingy Orange defense.

Said Gray: ‘We’re coming up with the big plays when we need the big plays.’

Published on April 14, 2006 at 12:00 pm