Veronica Grant stepped up to the plate in the bottom of fifth with two on and one out, looking to add to the 5-0 lead that the Syracuse softball team held over Buffalo.

‘Before I went up to the plate, I thought, ‘Oh, that would be nice if I could end it,” the freshman leadoff hitter said. ‘But I didn’t think it was going to happen. Maybe I’d knock in a few runs, but not end the game.’

Four pitches later, she ended the game.

Grant’s three-run blast — her first collegiate home run — along with a gem thrown by senior pitcher Brittany Gardner led to an 8-0 victory for Syracuse (14-13) in game two of a home-opening doubleheader against Buffalo (8-17) Wednesday. Gardner threw a one-hitter, improving to 6-1 on the season. She was backed up by a potent Orange offense, highlighted by Grant’s frozen rope that easily cleared the fence in right-center field.

‘It’s always surprising for kids when they realize how easy the swing is for the ball to go out that far,’ Syracuse head coach Leigh Ross said.

Grant was doubly surprised because she’s not used to hitting home runs.

‘I’ve hit a home run maybe once or twice,’ Grant said, ‘in high school, I remember one in a league game over center field.’

Syracuse used eight hits and six walks to score in four out of five innings. The Orange scored one in the first, one in the second, two in the fourth and four in the fifth. Grant led the way, going 1-for-1 with three walks and four runs scored. First baseman Kelly Saco chipped in with a triple and a single, and catcher Lacey Kohl hit a double.

‘We saw both their pitchers (in game one),’ Ross said. ‘You know you’ve already seen everything they have, so we were going to score at some point.’

On the other side, Gardner completely shut down the Bulls’ lineup. It was the second one-hitter of Gardner’s collegiate career, with the first coming in her freshman year against Binghamton, also part of a doubleheader home opener.

The strong performance was much needed for Gardner, who had a rough start last weekend in a loss to Florida Atlantic, going just one inning.

After giving up a leadoff single to Buffalo’s Kristin Waldron, Gardner retired every batter she faced. Throwing mainly her curveball and rise ball, she struck out five and got most of the other hitters to make weak contact.

‘To not let anybody get on after that is really crucial for my confidence,’ Gardner said. ‘It’s important for the team, too. If I’m in command, they’re going to follow my lead.’

The senior was in command on the mound, and the freshman Grant was in complete control at the plate. The four runs scored and three RBIs were both new career-highs for Grant.

In all four plate appearances, Grant had two strikes on her, including three full counts. Under pressure, she drew three walks and hit the home run.

‘I feel more comfortable going up like that than I do with one or no strikes,’ Grant said. ‘It gives me the drive that I have to hit the ball no matter what, that I have to get on no matter what.’

The victory also put Syracuse back over .500. The theatrics of the home run led to extra celebration after the game, and the lone senior on the Orange sees a win like that as a sign of things to come.

‘To have a walk-off home run by a freshman is really great,’ Gardner said. ‘These are our first home games of the season, and it’s just good to get a win like that. It’s going to lead us into bigger things.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on March 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr