Syracuse (17-24, 1-12 Atlantic Coast) found two different ways to lose on a Saturday doubleheader with No. 25 Notre Dame (36-11, 15-5) in South Bend, Indiana. In the first game, SU lost 10-1 in five innings by virtue of the mercy rule before falling 7-6 in a back and forth battle.

Starting pitcher Jocelyn Cater struggled through three innings in the opener, giving up eight runs on six hits, while walking and striking out five.

Offensively, the Orange couldn’t get anything going against Notre Dame pitcher Allie Rhodes, who pitched the entire game for her 14th win of the season.

The Fighting Irish took an eight-run lead into the fourth inning when SU’s offense found some life. Center fielder Mary Dombrowski scored on a Sammy Fernandez sacrifice fly.

But that would prove to be the only Orange offense in the game. Lindsey Larkin came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and gave up two more runs but SU couldn’t answer back in the fifth, ending the game.

Syracuse’s offense woke up in the first inning of game two when Julie Wambold and Corinne Ozanne hit back-to-back doubles to open the scoring.

Notre Dame tied the score against AnnaMarie Gatti in the third before the Syracuse bats came back in the fourth. Each team would score two in the fourth and three in fifth, heading into the sixth inning locked in a 6-6 tie.

The Orange couldn’t get anything going in the inning but Notre Dame hit back-to-back, two out doubles in the bottom half of the sixth to take a one run lead. The Fighting Irish brought Rhodes back into the game in the fifth.

Aside from one hit and one run, the Notre Dame ace shut down SU again and took the win after a one-two-three seventh inning.

The teams play again on Sunday at noon in South Bend for SU’s final conference road test of the year.

Published on April 18, 2015 at 7:04 pm