Orange Continue Win Streak

By Darius Joshua

The Syracuse Softball team took a break from the Big East schedule but continued its magical season with a sweep of the Binghamton Bearcats. 

Junior pitcher Jenna Caira also continued her stellar season by winning both games for the Orange with 19 strikeouts on the day. Caira, now 24-9, led the Orange defense in both Bearcat shutouts, the first 5-0 and the second 4-0. 

In the first game she pitched seven innings and allowed only two hits, no walks, no runs, and had eight strikeouts. She also struck out the first three bearcats she faced in the top of the first. In the second game she pitched for six innings allowed one hit, two walks, zero runs, and had eleven strikeouts.

The offense was led by junior outfielder Lasaira Daniels and Senior third basemen Hallie Gibbs. Daniels had four runs and hit .571 in the two game sweep. Gibbs had three RBI and two hits, including a homerun in the two games. 

In game one, the Syracuse offense got off to a quick start with a two run lead in the bottom of the first inning. The runs came off a two-run homer from Gibbs. The Orange didn’t register another run until the bottom of the fifth inning off a three-run bomb from junior catcher Lacy Kohl setting the final score of 5-0.

In the second game Caira started off strong again by striking out the first three batters again. Both teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when Gibbs hit a single that allowed Daniels to score the first run of the game. The Orange then scored again in the bottom of the fifth off a two RBI double to right field by Jasmine Watson. The Orange then clinched the victory in the sixth as Junior second basemen Stephanie Watts hit a RBI double to make the final score 4-0. 

The Orange return to the Big East play against Seton Hall on April 30 at 12 p.m. 

Ace Leads Orange Over Big East Rival

By Conor Hurley

There have been two constants this season for the Syracuse Softball team: winning and pitching ace Jenna Caira.

Caira, now 22-9 on the season, led the Orange to a 9-0 victory today over Big East rival Georgetown. The Orange are in the midst of their best season in school history, tallying a 31-11 overall record while being 9-5 in the Big East thus far.

Junior Lacey Kohl and senior Hallie Gibbs also contributed to the win. They each belted two-run homeruns. Gibbs’ HR solidified the shutout, ending the game by the mercy rule.

The second game of the double-header was postponed in the bottom of the second inning due to a severe thunderstorm in the area. It literally looked like the world was about to end, so there was no way there was more softball to be played.

One SU student summed up the severity of the weather situation quite adequately. “Initially I said the storm was a 9 out of 10 with 10 being the worst weather ever. Then I saw Chipotle was flooded, and it automatically became a 10,” the student said.

The Orange play next on Thursday when they host the Binghamton Bearcats. First pitch is at 3:30 p.m.

This Week in SU Sports

Here is a look ahead at the upcoming SU sporting events this week:

Tuesday 4/26:

Softball vs. Georgetown (Double Header) 1 p.m.

-The SU Softball team takes on Big East foe Georgetown at the SU Softball Stadium looking to continue its momentum into the postseason.

Women's Lacrosse vs. Cornell 7 p.m.

-The SU Women's Lacrosse team faces Cornell in their last home game of the regular season.

Thursday 4/28:

Softball vs. Binghamton (Double Header) 3:30 p.m.

-The SU Softball team will go up against its I-81 rival the Binghamton Bearcats in Syracuse.

Track and Field @ Penn Relays (All Day)

The Track and Field team will head down to Philadelphia to compete it one of the most highly regarded track and field competitions in the country.

Tennis @ Big East Tournament

-The #7 seed SU Tennis Team will take on the #10 seed St. Johns hoping to capitalize on their successful season. The Big East Tournament is being hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Friday 4/29:

Women's Lacrosse @ Loyola 7 p.m.

The SU Women's Lacrosse team will try to gain outright possession of second place in the Big East. The game will be played in Baltimore, MD.

Saturday 4/30:

Softball @ Seton Hall (Double Header) 12 p.m.

-The SU Softball team will head to New Jersey for a double header against Seton Hall.

Men's Lacrosse vs. #1 Notre Dame 7 p.m. - Game of the Week

The SU Men's Lacrosse team will face top-ranked Notre Dame in a game that will likely determine the top seed of the NCAA tournament. The winner will be crowned the Big East Champion.

Sunday 5/1

Track and Field @ Cornell 11 p.m.

-The SU Track and Field team will head to the Big Red Outdoor Invitational at Cornell.

Women's Lacrosse @ Villanova 12 p.m.

-The SU Women's Lacrosse team will take on Villanova in their final game of the regular season.

Softball @ Seton Hall 12 p.m.

-The SU Softball team will head to South Orange, NJ a Big East matchup against the Pirates.

Rowing @ Big East Championship in West Windsor, NJ

-The SU Women's Rowing team will try to upset the field at the Big East Championship.

Today in SU Sports 4/22/11

SU Women's Tennis Sweeps UConn

In the final match of the regular season, the Syracuse Tennis team destroyed the University of Connecticut at the Drumlins Tennis Center this morning. A few of the more dominating performances came from seniors Simone Kalhorn (singles), Christina Tan (singles), and Jacquelynn Tang (doubles) who were honored before the game for their service to the team throughout the past four years. The Orange finished the regular season 16-6 and 8-1 in conference and will compete in the Big East tournament next weekend in Indiana.

Syracuse Softball Splits Doubleheader at UMass

The Syracuse Softball team split a pair of highly contested games in Amherst versus UMass, today. The first game featured a strong pitching performance from Syracuse starter Jenna Caira. She went seven innings, gave up only one hit, no earned runs, and struck out 15 UMass batters. The Orange won that game 2-1 with help from Lisaira Daniels' 3 for 4 performance. Caira had a similar appearance in the second game, only giving up one run in six innings, but the Syracuse bats just couldn't produce as the Orange fell 2-0.

Boston University Too Much for Men's Rowing Team to Handle

The Syracuse University Men's Rowing team, ranked eighth in the country, fell short to Boston in every race today. Syracuse competed against both Boston and Columbia. The Orange placed second in three races and third in another. Boston, the six ranked team in the country, had an extremely successful day, winning every race. The good news is that the Syracuse varsity eight only finished a second behind the Terriers.

"I thought BU rode a little more intelligently in the first 1000 than us," Syracuse Coach Dave Reishman said after the race. "We got the lead in the first 1000 but we paid the price for it by being tense and letting the waves bounce us around a little bit."

The Orange Rowing team will have another shot at Boston in three weeks at the Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Massachusetts.