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When Syracuse was eliminated in the Atlantic Coast Conference first round against Boston College on May 8, it failed to put runners on base, tallying just two hits while hitting 0-for-6 with runners on base. The offensive collapse led to a 1-0 loss and an extension of its skid without an NCAA Tournament bid since 2012.

Now, heading into the 2025 season, the Orange return 14 players, six of which started at least 32 games last year — Madelyn Lopez, Kelly Breen, Tessa Galipeau, Laila Morales-Alves, Taylor Posner and Madison Knight.

Syracuse’s (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) offense propelled it to a 3-1 win over Le Moyne (0-1, 0-0 Northeast) in its opener. Hours later, the Orange defeated the University of North Carolina Wilmington (0-1, 0-0 Coastal Athletic) 5-1. It’s SU’s first 2-0 start to the season since 2022 when it defeated Mississippi Valley State and Southern in the Best on the Bayou Classic.

The Orange instantly set the tone against the Dolphins. Junior Julianna Verni — who had spent almost the entirety of the 2024 season coming out of the bullpen — received just her third start since joining SU after her freshman season at Purdue. She started 2025 with a 1-2-3 inning.

In the bottom frame, Jadyn Burney — a transfer from Mississippi State — was hit with a pitch. She fought off the pain, stealing second base during the next at-bat. Following a popout to shortstop, Breen stepped up to the dish.

On a 3-1 count, she had the green light and nailed a single into right field to send Burney to third base. On the following pitch, Morales-Alves drove in the Orange’s first run of the season. The senior catcher sent a sacrifice fly to left field, just enough to push Burney home and move Breen to second base.

SU continued the push but came up empty. A single and walk loaded up the bases, but Posner struck out to end the rally. Despite scoring just one run, Syracuse’s two hits in the first inning already matched its total from the 2024 ACC Tournament.

In the second inning, Syracuse again applied pressure to Le Moyne’s defense. A single and stolen base put Angie Ramos at second base. Then, a wild pitch moved her over to third with no outs. Two batters later, following a walk from Lauren Fox, Burney popped into a double play. A Breen soft groundout to pitcher Arianna Exarchakis silenced any potential scoring to end the inning.

The third inning was empty for both squads before Syracuse extended the one run lead to three in the fourth. With one out, Burney singled to right field. She then stole second, her second steal of the day. After Breen was hit by a pitch, Morales-Alves sent both teammates home with a two-RBI double down the right-field line, giving the Orange a 3-0 lead.

Le Moyne got on the board in the fifth inning, notching two hits and a run. However, the score was uncharged to Verni due to a passed ball two batters prior. After the Dolphins cut into SU’s lead, Rose Cano — a transfer from George Washington — took over in relief.

Two straight 1-2-3 frames from the junior handed SU its first win of the season, a comfortable 3-1 victory. Syracuse hit .364 with runners in scoring position and .375 with two outs, giving it momentum for its second contest of the day.

But unlike how it did against Le Moyne, the Orange’s offense started stagnant. They tallied just one hit in the first three innings. However, Knight was lights out from the circle for SU. Despite allowing three hits in that timespan, UNCW plated just one run, an unearned score following a fielding error by first baseman Galipeau in the third inning.

A routine ground ball to Burney was fielded cleanly and fired to Galipeau. Arial Pearce was initially called out, but the play was quickly overturned when the ball popped out of Galipeau’s glove.

Knight struck out the next batter, but Pearce stole second base to enter scoring position. Maggie Pertee then brought her home on an RBI single to left field, giving the Seahawks their first run of the season. A groundout and strikeout ended the surge, but the damage was done.

Despite facing its first deficit of the season, Syracuse took the lead in the following frame. Knight helped herself out with a single, just SU’s second hit of the game. Ramos then moved Knight to second with a base hit of her own. A Gabby Lantier pinch-hit infield single loaded the bases for Peyton Schemmer, who was making just her 14th start in two years at Syracuse.

A single to right field brought Ramos and Knight home. Then, Morgan Britt’s throw from right field sailed to the backstop, bringing Schemmer to second base. Burney singled down the left field line, scoring Lantier before Schemmer was gunned at the plate. Still, Syracuse had taken a 3-1 lead on a five-hit inning.

In the bottom frame, Knight struck out two of the four batters she faced, giving her eight Ks through her first four innings on the mound. Syracuse and UNCW were both held scoreless until the seventh inning, when SU scored two more to give it a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Knight’s 1-2-3 inning sealed Syracuse’s 5-1 victory, securing an 8-2 edge on the day. Several Orange players delivered standout performances, including Ramos, who went 4-for-5 across the two matches, and Knight, who notched a complete game with 10 strikeouts against UNCW. Across both contests, Syracuse hit .333 overall and .429 with runners on base, a dramatic turnaround from its struggles in May and an exceptional way to start 2025.

Published on February 7, 2025 at 6:50 pm

Contact: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_