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When Tessa Galipeau drew a walk in the top of the seventh inning, she solidified herself as the ninth and final Syracuse starter to reach base. Her walk came three at-bats after Jude Padilla’s two-run home run effectively put the game out of reach, giving the Orange (10-5, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) a 9-2 lead over NC State (17-3, 1-1 ACC) just one day after they fell 8-2 to the Wolfpack to begin ACC play.

After giving up five runs and failing to make it out of the first inning in her last start against Bradley, Lindsey Hendrix bounced back on Saturday. The sophomore picked up her third win of the season by tossing four innings and allowing two earned runs. And although her five walks tied a career-high, the Wolfpack were unable to capitalize on the free bases.

The game remained scoreless through the first inning, but SU struck first after loading the bases with one out in the second inning. Carli Campbell singled, scoring Taylor Posner and putting Syracuse up 1-0.

Then, after NC State converted a force out at home on a Galipeau ground ball, Angel Jasso came through with a two-out double down the left field line, sending Campbell and Paris Woods home to give the Orange an early three-run lead. NC State starting pitcher Sam Gress was promptly pulled from the game and ultimately picked up her first loss of the season.

The Wolfpack called upon Aisha Weixlmann, who struck out nine SU batters and allowed no earned runs the day before, to stop the bleeding. But the Orange quickly pounced on her too, as Neli Casares-Maher led off the third inning by launching the second pitch she saw to left field for her fifth home run of the season.

NC State finally got on the board in the fourth inning despite Hendrix striking out the first two batters of the frame. Two walks and two singles — the latter of which scored two runs off the bat of pinch hitter Libby Whittaker — allowed the Wolfpack to cut the Orange’s lead in half.

Syracuse instantly answered back though, recording four consecutive singles to start the fifth inning. Kelly Breen led off the inning before being pinch-run for by Ryan Gallegos. Casares-Maher punched a base hit up the middle, and then Posner’s ensuing single scored Gallegos to make it 5-2. To cap off the quartet, Angie Ramos singled up the middle to load the bases.

Ariana Adams relieved Hendrix to start the fifth inning and gave up a single to Brittany Jackson on her first pitch. But she found her groove immediately after, striking out the next batter on three pitches. Carson Shaner, who drove in three runs on two hits and hit a home run against the Orange on Friday, then battled for a 10-pitch at-bat that included six foul balls. But Adams got the best of her too, as she went down swinging before the next batter, Michele Tarpey, who also homered against the Orange on Friday, suffered the same fate to end the inning.

Neither team made any runs in the sixth inning before Padilla’s home run in the seventh — her second of the season — extended SU’s lead to 9-2. NC State threatened the Orange’s lead in the bottom of the seventh, recording two singles and a double within the first four at-bats. Still, Adams forced back-to-back groundouts to end the game.

The 9-3 victory marks Syracuse’s first conference win of the season. The two teams will meet again Sunday at noon in the third and final game of the series before the Orange travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on Virginia Tech next week.

Published on March 5, 2022 at 6:24 pm

Contact Spencer: spgoldst@syr.edu