Syracuse Loses Twice to No. 16 Duke on a Tough Day to Swallow

By Cole Purvis | @Cole_Purvis

DURHAM, NC – Syracuse softball (16-8, 0-5 ACC) lost both games of its Friday doubleheader against No. 16 Duke (19-8, 4-1 ACC). The first game was an extra inning thriller that Duke won 3-1 on a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. Things were much easier for the Blue Devils in game two, winning 6-0 in a shutout.

Game One

After being swept last week at then No. 19 Stanford, Syracuse was still in search of its first ACC win. However, this series would prove to be just as tough, with Duke coming in as the reigning ACC champions, and appearing to be well on its way to contending again.

Both starting pitchers would go the distance in this game, tossing gems for their respective squads. Early on however, it seemed as though Duke would have no problem hitting SU junior Madison Knight. The Blue Devils manufactured a run on sophomore Amiah Burgess’s RBI groundout. The Orange got out of the first frame trailing 1-0.

SU would get one back in the top of the third, taking advantage of a bases loaded opportunity when senior Angie Ramos hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Knight.

With the score tied 1-1, Knight and Duke pitcher Dani Drogemuller began to duel. The strike zone proved to be quite pitcher-friendly over the course of the game, allowing both hurlers to get ahead in the count and force swings-and-misses and weak contact. The game proved to be a stalemate into its late stages.

Fast-forward to the bottom of the seventh, with the game still tied at 1-1, and Duke trying to walk it off. With two outs, the Blue Devils gained a runner in scoring position after infielder KK Mathis hit a double. However, that was the only runner Duke got in the seventh. For the first time this season, Syracuse was headed to extra innings.

The pitchers duel continued even into the bonus frames. Going into the ninth, Knight would be the one to fold. With a runner on base, freshman Brooklinn Thomas stepped up to the dish and sailed one high and deep over the left field wall to win it for Duke, 3-1.

This was a heartbreaker for the Orange without a doubt, once again falling short of notching a conference win. Taking a ranked opponent to extras showed that SU can battle with anyone, but coming off a sweep to begin conference play, there was no room for moral victories.

Game Two

After a short break to catch its breath between games, Syracuse was back at it, although game two would prove to be less competitive. 

Junior Julianna Verni took to the circle for the ‘Cuse, and rolled through the first three innings. However, the Orange offense did her no favors, being shut down by Duke’s Cassidy Curd. 

In the bottom of the third, Duke had a runner on third with two outs, when second baseman Angie Ramos charged a ground ball, fielding it and executing a flawless glove flip to first. The web gem kept the game scoreless after three.

Sooner or later, Duke’s offensive firepower would be unleashed. The fourth inning was their time to strike. A pair of two-run blasts, first off the bat of senior Ana Gold and then from grad student Thessa Malau’ulu made it 4-0. One poor inning put a damper on any hopes of the Orange splitting with the Blue Devils on the day. 

From there, Duke tacked on two more. In the fifth, Syracuse was caught throwing the ball around, allowing Thomas to steal home off a throwing error. In the sixth, Malau’ulu homered once again to make it 6-0.

Needing a miraculous comeback, or perhaps wanting to just avoid a shutout, Syracuse got runners on second and third in the last inning. A baserunning miscue occurred, as the runner on third was caught in a rundown, and the runner on second attempted to run to third, allowing Duke to tag both players out and end the game, winning 6-0. 

SU’s lack of offensive production has been rearing its ugly head recently. The Orange have scored just two runs over their last four games. They’ll have yet another chance to succeed at the plate and win a conference game tomorrow afternoon in the series finale at 2pm.

For live updates of that game, and coverage all year long, be sure to follow @Cole_Purvis and @CitrusTVSports on X.