Syracuse Falls to Pitt in Series Finale, 10-7

Story, photo, and video by Julia Morris

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Pittsburgh’s McKayla Taylor stepped up to the plate in the top of the sixth inning with her team in an unfamiliar place – trailing Syracuse for the first time in 17 innings.   Taylor had already hit three home runs for her team this weekend, but she quickly fell behind in a 1-2 count, prompting a Pittsburgh fan in the stands to yell, “Come on McKayla, we just need a hit.” 

Despite being down in the count, on the next pitch Taylor delivered more than just a hit - she blasted a home run down the right field line to tie the game, 5-5.  The Panthers (29-14, 9-9 ACC) built off Taylor’s homer and added five more runs in the next two innings, defeating Syracuse (15-22, 1-10 ACC) 10-7 on a sunny, Sunday afternoon at Skytop field. 

“The kid killed us all weekend,” Syracuse head coach Leigh Ross said. “She’s a great player and whenever she was up we knew it could be one swing of the bat with her…she was just on it.”

And Taylor was on it, especially on Sunday. She hit her first homer of the game, a three-run shot, in the top of the fourth that put the Panthers up 3-1.  She finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBIs, bringing her RBI total to 17 for the weekend.
 

Dombrowski Gives Syracuse An Early Lead

Before Taylor’s two home runs, Syracuse took an early lead in the first inning.   Pitt pitcher Savannah King walked three Orange players in a row to load the bases for captain Mary Dombrowski. Dombrowski, who has struggled at times offensively this season, delivered a ground ball base hit that put Syracuse up 1-0.

“Today I think she was in the mindset of ‘OK, I’m going to stop putting so much pressure on myself every single at bat and get out of this me thing and just relax and have fun and do something for my team,’” Ross said.

Teams Trade Homers

Syracuse held the 1-0 lead until the fourth inning. Orange ace Jocelyn Cater did not surrender a hit in her first three innings pitched.

“I think my off-speed was working well and my up-ball which is what I do, the rise and a lot of mixing for sure,” Cater said.

But as the game went on, Cater started to struggle and gave up eight runs over the next four innings.

“I did throw a lot of pitches this weekend,” Cater said. “Generally that happens when you’re tired.”

In the top of the fourth she gave up a walk to Jenna Modic and then Carly Thea got the Panthers’ first hit when she drilled a double to the center field wall.  That hit set up Taylor’s three-run homer, which put Pitt up 3-1.

Syracuse responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a single by Rachel Burkhardt that cut the Panthers’ lead to one.  But in the top of the fifth, Shelby Pickett, who boasts the Panthers’ highest batting average, hit a solo shot to dead center that put her team up 4-2.
 

However, in the bottom half of the inning Dombrowski provided more clutch hitting for Syracuse.  She hit a three-run homer to center field that gave the Orange a 5-4 lead.

“Usually they just don’t feel like anything,” Dombrowski said when talking about the homer.

“And that’s the best feeling you can have at the plate.”

 

Taylor Sparks Pitt’s Comeback

After Dombrowski’s homer, the Orange never re-took the lead. Taylor’s homer tied the game at five in the top of the sixth and then Ashlee Sills singled, driving in two more runs and giving Pitt a 7-5 lead.

The Panthers added three more runs in the top of the seventh.  SU freshman pitcher AnnaMarie Gatti came in to get the last two outs of the inning, but she struggled.  She walked in a run and then tried to field a grounder by Pickett but it hit off her glove and allowed two other Panthers to score, giving Pitt a 10-5 lead.

“It’s a natural reaction for Anna to try and grab that ball but if she lets it go, it goes to Sammy (Fernandez) and we’re out of the inning,” Ross said.

Syracuse did get two runs back in the bottom of the seventh when Maddi Doane lined a single to left field that scored Dombrowski and Danielle Chitkowski. However, those runs were not enough to counter Taylor and the rest of the Panthers’ offense and Pitt went on to get the 10-7 victory and complete the series sweep.

Up Next

Syracuse is scheduled to play Niagara in a doubleheader on Wednesday at Skytop field. The first game is at 3 p.m.

Pitt will host Virginia Tech in a three-game series next weekend. The first game will be Saturday, April 18^th, at 1 p.m.

Post-Game Video

Coach Ross
Mary Dombrowski
Jocelyn Cater