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Before Syracuse’s third-inning at bats, Robert Morris led 8-0, appearing well on its way to win by mercy rule. 

Syracuse responded in the bottom half of the inning, stringing together three runs and avoiding the mercy rule. But apart from that, Syracuse couldn’t get anything going again offensively until its final opportunity in the seventh inning.  

Geana Torres stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded. Jude Padilla and Tessa Galipeau had hit back-to-back singles with two outs, combining to drive in three runs. Galipeau became the tying run for the ensuing batter, Torres.

Torres worked the count full, but struck out swinging on the sixth pitch of the at bat. Syracuse lost 8-6.

While SU tacked on six runs, it was too little and too late. Syracuse is 5-1 when it’s ahead or tied after the third inning, but is 1-5 when losing after that point. After three innings, Syracuse averages 2.08 runs, while its opponents average 2.91 runs.

Syracuse was in a similar situation to its game against Robert Morris in its first game against Purdue. After the third inning, Syracuse trailed 3-0 and saw its deficit grow to nine before coming to bat in the fifth inning. Then, Syracuse finally erupted for six runs, but the Boilermakers extended its lead back to six in the seventh inning.

In the bottom half of the seventh, Madison Knight hit a two run homer, putting the Orange down four runs with one out. But SU only got one runner on base the rest of the game, resulting in another failed comeback effort. 

If Syracuse had remained competitive in the early stages of both games, the team could have an 8-4 record, as it gives up an average of five runs against per game.

Stephanie Zaso | Digital Design Director

On the contrary, Syracuse has done a great job of maintaining leads after the third inning. 

In a rematch against Robert Morris, Syracuse went down 2-0 in the first inning, but immediately responded in the top of the second. With a runner on first and one out, Galipeau ripped a double to left field, scoring Syracuse’s first run of the game.

After Ryan Starr reached on an error and Angel Jasso struck out, Angie Ramos stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. On the first pitch, Ramos sent a single into center field that gave Syracuse a 3-2 lead. 

From the second to the sixth inning, Lindsey Hendrix dominated on the mound, retiring all 15 batters she faced. With Syracuse still holding a 3-2 lead in the seventh, Robert Morris finally had a base runner when Avery Winchell drew a lead off walk. But Hendrix retired the next three batters, helping Syracuse to a tightly contested win. 

Syracuse has shown hints of early offense this season, scoring nine runs against North Florida en route to a 10-4 victory and seven runs against Iowa in an 11-4 win. 

But Syracuse has also failed to score during the first three innings four different times, only managing to win one of those games — a narrow 3-2 win over Charleston. 

When they’re winning or tied after the third inning, the Orange have been almost unbeatable. But despite some close comeback efforts, if SU is losing after the third inning, it’s unlikely to carve out a win.

Published on February 28, 2023 at 9:12 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon