On Sunday in the top of the first inning against North Carolina State, Alexa Romero struck out the Wolfpack side in order. In the bottom of the inning Syracuse scored four runs, giving itself a lead it would never relinquish.

On Tuesday in the top of the first inning against Binghamton, Alexa Romero struck out the Bearcat side in the order. In the bottom of the inning Syracuse scored four runs, giving itself a lead it would never relinquish.

Both games resulted in seven-run wins for the Orange (27-18, 8-11 Atlantic Coast), which took down Binghamton (11-21, 4-7 America East), 8-1, on Tuesday. Scoring early and often has proved to be a recipe for success for SU, which is now riding a seven-game winning streak with every victory coming at home. Being at home allows Syracuse to play the field first, meaning Romero, the reigning NCAA co-player of the week, gets to set the tone for the Orange.

“Anytime Alexa can strike out the side is always super helpful,” said Bryce Holmgren, who was hit by a pitch and scored in both first-inning rallies. “It’s a little bit of momentum leading into our at bats.”

A groundout by Sammy Fernandez was an inauspicious start to the first inning for SU, but then Bearcats pitcher Rayn Gibson lost control in the circle. Alicia Hansen, the catalyst for Sunday’s big opening inning, walked on four pitches. Holmgren was hit in the elbow pad by a pitch. Then Gabby Teran walked too, also not seeing a strike.

That brought up first baseman Faith Cain, who struck out in the middle of the rally against N.C. State. The junior didn’t waste her opportunity this time though, lining an opposite-field double off the right field wall to score two.

“I think it’s great that we’re jumping on the game early on, getting hot early,” Cain said.

Andrea Bombace, starting for the first time since March 31, was up next and continued the scoring. Her hard grounder to shortstop scored Teran and a batter later a Michala Maciolek single drove Cain home, giving the Orange a four-run lead before the Bearcats had even recorded two outs.

Romero’s strong first was aided by strong hitting to follow. The players feed off each other, they said, and in turn perform well on both sides of the ball.

“I think that it’s most important for our pitchers,” Holmgren said. “It’s easier for them when we’re able to start strong … just for them to have more confidence and be a little more calm while they’re on the mound.”

In both games, however, Syracuse was unable to hold onto the momentum it gathered in the first inning and carry it through the ensuing innings.

On Tuesday, Binghamton used four of the five pitchers on its roster just a game after N.C. State used three. The pitching changes proved to be a stalwart for Syracuse until it eventually scored multiple runs in the fifth.

“It’s tough when you’re trying to adjust on the fly a little bit,” head coach Mike Bosch said. “You have to get used to one and then all of a sudden they bring the other in there.”

It hasn’t mattered in either game for the Orange, since Romero has shut down its opponent after jumping out to a big lead. But SU is aware of and concerned over the lack of maintaining its momentum, something it makes sure to keep on its mind during the game.

Bosch emphasizes coming out strong in the first inning but lately, the team has tried to keep up that focus in the later innings. Even after taking an early lead, Syracuse takes every inning as if it’s its own game, trying to outscore its opponent in the inning without taking account of what it’d done in previous ones.

“We always say, four isn’t enough, or seven isn’t enough,” Holmgren said. “Because if you get too complacent, that’s when things sneak up on you. So we really try to take an inning by inning approach, like ‘win this inning.’”

Published on April 24, 2018 at 8:14 pm

Contact Eric: erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34