Syracuse head coach Mike Bosch has stressed the importance of playing as many games as possible before conference play. According to Bosch, these extra games not only bolster the Orange’s resume, but also help the players get more acclimated to any situations that arise before conference play begins.

One situation that the Orange has found itself in frequently this season is extra-inning games. Syracuse has played in four extra-inning games so far in 2016 and has won three of them.

“We’ve played in so many tight games, (extra-inning games) are just an extension of that,” Bosch said, “I can honestly say if you look back at our games, they are all within one, two, three runs either way, so we’re fairly prepared to play extra innings.”

Syracuse took an eight-inning game against Bryant in February, 3-2, and another in eight against North Carolina, 8-2, in early March. Just last Wednesday, the Orange went nine innings in a 3-1 victory over Charleston Southern. Its only extra-inning loss came in an eight-inning defeat against Purdue just two weeks into the season in the ACC–Big 10 Challenge, 4-3.

According to Bosch, the cause of extra-inning games this season has been twofold strong pitching and defense as well as weak offense. Syracuse (12-14, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) will try and build on the latter heading into its home-opening doubleheader Wednesday against Niagara (2-10) at SU Softball Stadium.

“Defensively, we do a lot of things well,” Bosch said, “We don’t give up a lot of runs, and our pitching is probably top 25 in the nation with ERA.”

The Orange staff boasts three pitchers that have performed exceptionally well in the circle in extra-inning games. Jocelyn Cater, AnnaMarie Gatti and Sydney O’Hara have given up just four hits in five innings of extra play this season, and have surrendered just one run.

Offensively, the narrative has been the opposite. With a lineup that has struck out 147 times in 26 games this season, the Orange struggles to put runs on the board, averaging just three per game.

“There has been a severe lack of (hitting) adjustments made in the seven innings,” assistant coach Alisa Goler said, “That’s really the reason that we keep dragging (games) out the way we do.”

O’Hara has seen extra-inning games from both the pitcher’s circle and the batter’s box. The junior has pitched in two of the Orange’s extra-inning games this year, earning the win in both. She also hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning against North Carolina on March 12 that proved to be the game-winner.

“As a pitcher, I’m not rattled when I have to go in, I just focus on hitting my spots,” O’Hara said, “Up at bat, I just look at putting the ball in play, because we need base runners.”

O’Hara said that the team as a whole becomes more focused when the game gets drawn to extra innings, and hitters narrow their focus at the plate to include more sacrifice bunts, sacrifice fly balls and walks to implement small ball to earn that one possibly decisive run.

As important as runs are to success, Bosch knows that the Orange’s defense is what ultimately gets it into, and keeps it in, these extra inning games. Now, the other half has to come around.

“Our pitching staff has done a tremendous job of getting out of big situations, and likewise our defense has made really sensational plays when the game is on the line,” Bosch said, “I think those two key things always give us the chance to come around and maybe get that clutch hit and win the game.”

Published on March 22, 2016 at 9:51 pm

Contact Matt: mjfel100@syr.edu