Freshman Jenna Caira’s one-hit performance Friday didn’t astonish Syracuse head coach Leigh Ross in the least.

As a matter of fact, after Caira and the rest of the Orange dispersed from the diamond, Ross could only think of one thing to say to the freshman:

‘Welcome back, Jenna.’

Ross had been expecting this from Caira all along.

‘I wasn’t surprised at all, that’s Jenna Caira, that’s why Jenna Caira is here,’ Ross said. ‘Today is the first day we saw the real Jenna Caira. She controlled the entire game and momentum, from start to finish.’

And Caira definitely showed up against the Panthers, as the first-year pitcher from Richmond Hill, Ontario, brought a no-hitter into the sixth inning and ultimately threw a complete game one-hit shutout. Syracuse (14-10, 3-1 Big East) shut out Pittsburgh in the second game of the doubleheader, 4-0.

Despite the fact that Friday’s outing was Caira’s maiden trial at home, the pressure brought about by the circumstances didn’t phase the freshman in the least.

Her teammates, much like Ross, weren’t fazed by her dominating outing as well, touching on the fact that the true Caira emerged against Pittsburgh.

‘She definitely came out as herself, as we all see her,’ senior captain Amy Kelley said. ‘I don’t know if she has been able to show her true colors as a pitcher yet, but we all know her ability. Finally today everything was shown, she took control and made her game her game.’

Caira’s game consisted of a filthy drop ball, the freshman’s out pitch throughout the game, which constantly fooled the opposition. That same drop ball has not always been there for Caira throughout the season, but in the second game of Syracuse’s doubleheader against the Panthers (14-11, 2-2), it dropped in for strikes.

‘Her off-speed stuff was great today,’ fellow freshman Stephanie Watts said, ‘Back in California, we played UCLA, a top hitting team, and her stuff today would have fooled them too.’

Throughout the nine-strikeout performance, Caira remained cool and collected on the mound while her teammates supported her by whatever means necessary.

For freshman Lacey Kohl, that meant screaming at the top of her lungs from left field as Caira, who is now 5-4 on the year with a 2.77 ERA, sewed up the game in the seventh and final inning.

‘I loved it, you know, that intensity and support on the field,’ Caira said. ‘You always have to have that constant motivation.’

‘We are always encouraging, we know what gets her going and what calms her down,’ Watts said.

At the end of the day, after all of the strikeouts, drop balls and chants of support from the dugout and outfield, the only thing that Ross had to ponder was a simple question: Did someone jinx the shot at no-hit ball?

‘Nope, you’re not allowed to speak about the no-hitter,’ Ross said. ‘Pardon the pun, but that’s just a no-no. Even if you whisper it to the person next to you, I don’t know who did that in there, but it must have happened.’

aolivero@syr.edu

Published on March 29, 2009 at 12:00 pm