Sunday, April 26, 2015

Syracuse Completes Three Game Sweep of UVA, Defeats Cavaliers 11-2 on Senior Day

Story, Photo, and Video by Julia Morris


Syracuse, N.Y. – Senior Mary Dombrowski came into Syracuse's season finale hitting .176.  In her team's doubleheader victory over Virginia (16-40, 4-20 ACC) on Saturday, she was 0-for-6 and had a combined four strikeouts.  But on Sunday afternoon the four-year utility player got the big hit for Syracuse (20-26, 4-13 ACC) in the last college softball game of her career.  In the bottom of the third inning, she launched a grand slam that gave her team a 7-0 lead and Syracuse cruised to an 11-2 win to complete a three game sweep of the Cavaliers.

“I’m speechless,” Dombrowski said. “I’ve been struggling a lot lately especially striking out left and right but for that moment to be so special, my very last softball game of my entire life...I’ll be talking about this forever.”

Cater Comes Out Strong 

Syracuse ace Jocelyn Cater started on the mound for the Orange, making her third appearance in as many games.  She threw a combined 214 pitches on Saturday but if she felt fatigued, she showed no signs of it in the beginning of the game.  She was perfect through the first three innings with three strikeouts. 

“I think today I was a little bit slower just because of so much throwing yesterday,” Cater said. “So I was really trying to spin it and trick them because seeing them for the fifth or sixth time in a row I think you have to trick them at that point.”

And while the Virginia offense struggled to get going against Cater, Syracuse’s bats picked up where they left off on Saturday when the team scored a combined 21 runs in two games.

The Orange got the first run of the game in the bottom of the first when Corinne Ozanne lined a base hit to left field to put Syracuse up 1-0. Syracuse added another run in the bottom of the second when Danielle Chitkowski led off the inning with a homer to left to increase the Orange lead to 2-0.

“Everyone just came with their A-game and we fed off of each other,” Ozanne said.

Syracuse Offense Erupts

Syracuse continued to get big hits in the third and fourth innings.  Virginia starting pitcher Aimee Chapdelaine was taken out after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third.  Her replacement, freshman Alex Fomby, could not get the Cavaliers out of the jam.  The first batter Fomby faced was Rachel Burkhardt, who hit an RBI single to left field that scored Sydney O’Hara and made it 3-0 Syracuse.  The next batter was Dombrowski and her grand slam put the game out of reach for the Cavaliers.

“It just feels good to contribute in such a fantastic manner,”  Dombrowski said.

Syracuse added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth when the Orange’s number nine hitter, Alyssa Dewes, hit her second home run of the season.  Her two run shot to left made it 9-0 Syracuse.

“That’s what she has in her,” Coach Leigh Ross said.  “Got her pitch, drove it hard and that’s what happens.”

Then, with the bases loaded and two outs, Sydney O’Hara hit a 2 RBI single up the middle to give the Orange an 11-0 lead.

Virginia did manage to get two runs off Cater in the top of the 5th, but only one was earned. Katie Park reached first after Cater dropped a pop up that would have been the first out of the inning.  The next batter for the Cavaliers, Megan Harris, homered to right to cut the Syracuse lead to nine. 

“I’m just trying to think about the next pitch,” Cater said.  “I’m frustrated with myself more than anything because I threw a bad pitch but I try to focus on the next pitch.”

Cater bounced back to retire the next three Cavalier batters in order and Syracuse secured the 11-2 victory.

Thoughts on the Season

Syracuse finishes the season with a 20-26 record and 4-13 record in the ACC. The Orange do not qualify for post-season play.  Ross said after the game that although Syracuse ended the season on a high note with the three game sweep, she thought the team was capable of playing the way it did against the Cavaliers throughout the season.

“I told the girls all season this is the team we were expecting to see,” Ross said. “Just to compete game in and game out but a little too late but a great weekend.”

The Orange expects to return several key players next season, including Cater, who put up 14 wins and a 3.79 ERA this year.

 “Joce has grown so much as a pitcher this year,” Ross said.  “I think earlier in the season she had doubts but she started gaining her confidence as the season went on.”

Syracuse’s best offensive player, Ozanne, also is to return next year.  The rising senior finished the season with a .344 average and 13 home runs.  

Virginia will also miss postseason play.  Syracuse’s doubleheader victories Saturday denied the Cavaliers a shot at extending their season.

Postgame Videos




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