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With Madison Knight down 0-2 in the count, Abby Dunning attempted to strike her out on a rising ball, but it flew too high. BC catcher Maddy Carpe stood up to block the ball, but the ball still got by her, allowing Angel Jasso to score from third and Gabby Lantier to advance to third from second base.

The Orange were losing 3-2 and with Lantier on third and no outs, they had a perfect opportunity to tie the game. However, that didn’t happen.

Knight popped out for the first out of the inning, then Laila Alves grounded out in a perfect 3-1 hitter’s count. This brought Taylor Posner to the plate with two outs. Just as Knight and Alves did before her, Posner couldn’t bring Lantier home. On the second pitch of her at bat, Posner popped out to first base, squandering a massive opportunity for the Orange.

“As soon as we get runners on, the discipline and the fly balls to the infield goes through the roof,” head coach Shannon Doepking told CitrusTV.

With an inability to bring in runners in scoring position, Syracuse (23-25-1, 7-15-1 Atlantic Coast) lost 4-2 to Boston College (24-28, 6-18 ACC). With runners in scoring position, the Orange were 1-6 with no runs batted in, a pivotal reason why they lost by two runs. For the first time since facing Louisville on April 1, SU was swept. Now, Syracuse is heading into the ACC tournament cold despite having an eight-game winning streak entering the series against the Eagles.

Kali Case, the last hitter in Boston College’s lineup, stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second base in the top of the second. As Lindsey Hendrix delivered her pitch, Case stepped up in the left-handed the batter’s box, attempting to slap Hendrix’s pitch into play.

Hendrix’s pitch was inside, and Case rolled over, sending a slow grounder toward first base. Tessa Galipeau played shallow in the infield, though, and the ball rolled past her into right field. This brought the first run of the game home for Boston College and allowed Gianna Sarlo, the runner on first, to advance to third base and Case to advance to second.

The ensuing batter, Nicole Giery, wasted no time extending Boston College’s lead. On the first pitch of her at bat, she ripped a single into center field, driving in Sarlo and Case, which gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, Syracuse had an opportunity to respond to the Eagles’ three-run inning. Kelly Breen and Alves each worked walks, giving SU its first runner in scoring position for Posner.

On the first pitch of the at-bat, Posner smoked a line drive, but she hit right to the shortstop, Giery. As a result of how hard the ball was hit and how far Breen got off second base on her secondary lead, Posner lined into a double play, with the Boston College middle infielders easily helping Dunning get out of the jam.

Despite struggling in the second inning, Hendrix cruised through the third and fourth innings, only allowing one base runner to get on base. With Hendrix keeping the game close, she set Syracuse’s offense up to attempt a comeback.

Leading off the bottom of the fourth inning, Angie Ramos worked a full count. On Dunning’s payoff pitch, Ramos hit a line drive toward third base. Djhane Valido jumped, trying to make the catch, but the ball skidded off the top of her glove and onto the infield dirt for a leadoff single.

Following Ramos’ leadoff hit, Jasso stepped up to the plate. Jasso barreled the ball on Dunning’s 2-1 pitch, smoking a line drive into the right-center field gap. From the crack of the bat, Ramos sprinted, and she was sent home. Despite a well-executed relay from Boston College, Ramos slid into home plate safely, scoring the Orange’s first run of the game.

Breen, Syracuse’s clean-up hitter, kept the line moving, serving an opposite-field single into right field that advanced Jasso to third. Pinch running for Breen, Lantier stole second base, giving SU runners on second and third with no outs. But the Orange failed to tie the game.

In the top of the fifth inning, Hendrix only allowed one base runner – which came from an error by Posner in right field – and kept Boston College scoreless for the third straight inning.

Still down by one run, Syracuse had another opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Following two quick outs by the bottom of SU’s lineup, Yamila Evans pinch hit for Galipeau.

On the first pitch she saw from Dunning, Evans ambushed, sending a double into right-center field. But on the ensuing pitch, Ramos fouled out, stranding Evans in scoring position.

Following four scoreless innings for the Boston College offense, Abigail Knight smoked a one-out solo homer down the right field line to extend the Eagles’ lead to 4-2.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Syracuse’s offense didn’t register a baserunner, losing the game without putting up a fight.

“We got to figure out how to get a little bit tougher,” Doepking said.

Published on May 7, 2023 at 4:19 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon