In a weekend where Syracuse played three games against Top 25 teams, it held a lead in two of them.

Against No. 10 Stanford, SU trailed by two runs early but battled back to take a lead in the fifth. Against No. 13 Texas, the team jumped out to a four-run lead in the top of the first.

But in every game, a breakout inning by its opponents resulted in three losses for the Orange.

‘We really earned our runs, whereas the other teams, we kind of gave them a lot of their runs,’ SU head coach Leigh Ross said. ‘So we were working hard for both teams, I guess. What I think that they learned over the weekend was that even when we don’t have our best day, we are still hanging with those teams.’

This past weekend, Syracuse went 1-4 in the Cathedral Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., a tournament head coach Leigh Ross called the toughest of the season. In three of the five games, the team faced nationally ranked opponents. No. 20 Tennessee, No.15 Texas and No. 10 Stanford all defeated the Orange, but only by a total of seven runs.

Finishing games the way it starts them will be the primary concern when the Orange (3-7) make the trip to Louisiana State University for the LSU Purple and Gold Challenge. From March 5-7 SU will take on Campbell, South Alabama and the host Tigers.

Normally, a team that starts the season 3-7 isn’t usually in good spirits.

But after their second straight tournament against some of the nation’s top teams, players and coaches on the SU softball team think their record doesn’t reflect how well they have performed.

‘Our record from that tournament is pretty deceiving because we played really well and hung in there with all those teams even though they were ranked,’ sophomore catcher Leah Porter said. ‘We are really happy with how we played, actually.’

The team left California knowing that it can play with any team in the country.

‘I think they should be (winnable) for us,’ Ross said. ‘We just need to worry about playing at the same level that we played this weekend. I think our biggest would be just to go out there and play clean ball.’

The Orange had no problem getting runners on base but came up short when it needed the big hit.

The team trailed 8-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh in a game against Tennessee, but it quickly loaded the bases. After two runs scored on a wild pitch and an error, freshman center fielder Veronica Grant stepped to the plate with the bases still loaded. Grant lined a shot toward right-center field that would have tied the game, but a leaping catch by shortstop Ashley Andrews stymied SU’s rally.

The inability to convert made things harder for the Orange pitchers and threw off the momentum it built over several innings.

‘There’s a lot of pressure on the pitchers because we were in tight games,’ pitching coach Angela Tincher said. ‘But they really attacked the batters a lot. I think across the board they did really well, and it was against tough competition.’

These are the situations Ross and the Orange are hoping convert this weekend. Looking ahead, LSU is the only opponent comparable to the quality of teams at the Cathedral Classic. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 16 in the country and have two wins against Top 25 teams. They defeated No. 19 North Carolina and the Big East’s No. 21 DePaul in the Texas Invitational.

This weekend, though, there are no excuses for SU. It has the experience against the NCAA’s elite and will look to step up and turn near-losses into victories.

‘By the end of last weekend they kind of surprised me,’ Ross said. ‘You can really see the bonding happening out on the field. This team has always been quiet, and I thought it was because they are just so young. But they really matured a lot since last weekend.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on March 3, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13