Kelly Saco and the Syracuse softball team can feel it — Siena might be the trap game lurking in the near future.

With just one doubleheader against the Saints standing between the Orange and the bulk of its conference schedule, focus might be difficult to come by.

‘I think it’s hard (to key on Siena). That’s something everyone can agree with,’ first baseman Kelly Saco said. ‘But you’ve got to take it one day at a time because anyone can beat anyone on any day.’

SU takes that mentality into today’s doubleheader on the road against the Saints (3-18), a team struggling mightily to find wins. On the surface, it should be easy enough for the Orange (14-13), who beat No. 22 Ohio State on March 19 by eight runs. Win, go home and prepare for rival Georgetown on Friday. Siena is just a minor barrier between the tough early schedule and Big East games.

Syracuse expects to come away with two more wins, building momentum before it starts playing in conference. But it may be difficult to concentrate on a Siena team that only has wins against Morgan State (twice) and Coastal Carolina.

‘From here on out, we have to worry about ourselves and playing to a certain level no matter who we’re playing,’ SU head coach Leigh Ross said. ‘It’s going to be our big challenge.’

After a grueling nonconference slate to start the season against some of the best teams in the country, the Orange is playing some weaker nonconference foes in the Northeast, looking to pile up wins and confidence as it gets ready for the stretch run. Syracuse seems to have found a rhythm on offense, scoring runs with more consistency than it has all season. SU swept Buffalo in its home-opening doubleheader last week and is playing its best softball of the season, with Big East play on the horizon.

All of the signs of progress could disappear, though, with a loss to Siena, a team that has lost 12 of its past 13 games. Ross said that there are no excuses if the Orange leaves Loudonville, N.Y., with a loss.

‘It’s absolutely not (acceptable),’ Ross said. ‘I never really talk about wins and losses, but I think that for us, if we play at the level that we can play at, there should be no reason (to lose).’

The Orange has had trouble maintaining a high level of play against weaker opponents. After SU’s win against Ohio State, it lost to Florida Atlantic, showing that the young team has some growing up to do. The sweep of Buffalo last week is an encouraging sign that the team is learning.

‘As long as we maintain a focus on ourselves, we can avoid overlooking them,’ said pitcher Angie Sagnelli, who will be about 15 minutes away from her home in Clifton Park, N.Y., when Syracuse is at Siena. ‘(It’s about) treating everybody like they’re just another team as opposed to putting a name on their jerseys.’

Syracuse swept Siena in its meeting last season, shutting out the Saints in both games of a doubleheader. Sagnelli and Brittany Gardner combined on the shutout in game one, and Jenna Caira threw a one-hitter in game two. Caira and Gardner, SU’s No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers, are expected to start tomorrow, as Ross plans on attacking Siena with Syracuse’s best.

The message from the coach is simple: In order to avoid a slipup, Syracuse cannot let up.

‘I’m going with our full (starting lineup). We’re going to go hard like any other game,’ Ross said. ‘I know I’m coming with the same mentality as if we’re facing Louisville.’

Ideally, the Orange arrives home Tuesday night with two wins over Siena and a four-game winning streak. Without the right amount of concentration, though, SU could lose a game it has no business losing, suffering a letdown right before Big East play begins.

Saco believes that the team will be ready and focused.

‘For the rest of the season, we want to win the Big East championship,’ Saco said. ‘But it’s got to be one game at a time.’

mcooperj@syr.edu
 

Published on March 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr