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The Orange allowed their fourth shutout of the season in a 6-0 loss Saturday, just a day after Syracuse swept Virginia in a doubleheader. Friday’s doubleheader sweep was SU’s first in two weeks, snapping a six-game losing streak. But on Saturday, Virginia (15-28, 10-22 Atlantic Coast) limited SU to just four hits, using a three-run fifth inning to beat the Orange (17-16, 10-13), who sit four spots above the Cavaliers in the current ACC standings. 

Virginia began the scoring in the bottom of the first. Kaia Oliver allowed a leadoff triple on her second pitch of the game to Arizona Ritchie. She struck out her first batter of the game before allowing a walk. Ritchie stole home, and Katie Goldberg, who had just walked, stole second but was ultimately stranded on base.

Scoring stopped from that point until the bottom of the fifth inning. Ahead of that frame, head coach Shannon Doepking pulled Oliver for Lindsey Hendrix. Oliver finished the afternoon after allowing three hits, three walks and just one earned run as her season record fell back to.500. She had thrown 71 pitches but only threw 57.7% for strikes.

Hendrix immediately hit Ritchie with a pitch, then allowed a sacrifice bunt to Bailey Winscott, setting up an RBI single from Goldberg. Two batters later, Donna Friedman hit a double to right field, scoring Goldberg. To top off the inning, Rachel Keshin singled and extended the Cavaliers’ lead to four.

Jolie Gustave took over in the circle in the bottom of the sixth. She forced an infield pop-out and allowed her sixth home run of the year to Mikaila Fox. Later in the inning, Goldberg singled to the right side and made the lead six, where it held for the rest of the game.

Virginia starter Mikayla Houge stifled Syracuse’s hitters. She only gave up four hits — three singles and a double — and threw 88 pitches through her complete-game shutout. UVA totaled nine hits and stranded seven on base.

A loss in the final game of the series on Sunday sinks Syracuse back to .500. SU travels to UAlbany on Tuesday for a doubleheader before returning home for a four-game set against No. 15 Virginia Tech.

Published on April 24, 2021 at 4:00 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt