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Syracuse hasn’t had many games come down to the wire in its program-best start to 2025. The Orange have dominated the majority of their contests this season.

A primary cause of that success has been SU’s revamped rotation, headlined by Julianna Verni and Madison Knight. Syracuse has relied on both to consistently complete games — even if it requires 100 pitches or more.

So when Syracuse was faced with its closest game of the season Friday afternoon, the Orange stuck to what they knew. Knight tossed a whopping 133 pitches to help SU stay tied late. Laila Morales-Alves saved its perfect start to 2025 with a walk-off double, but it was Syracuse’s pitching staff who guided it there.

A dominant effort from starting pitching and late-game heroics punctuated Syracuse’s (11-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 7-0 win over Buffalo (1-6, 0-0 Mid-American) and 3-2 victory over Utah Valley (2-9, 0-0 Western Athletic). Verni and Knight combined for 238 pitches, 19 strikeouts and 10 hits allowed. The Orange boast the nation’s best earned run average and still haven’t allowed more than two runs in a game.

SU began the morning by loading the bases in the bottom of the first, with the first three batters collecting hits. Morales-Alves opened the scoring with a fielder’s choice to drive in Jadyn Burney. Kaimi Tulua followed with an RBI groundout to put Syracuse up 2-0 after one.

Verni dissected the Bulls’ offense early. She allowed two hits in the first three innings. The pitcher also notched seven strikeouts in her first 10 batters faced.

Syracuse’s offense continued to give her run support in the middle innings. Kelly Breen ripped a triple in the bottom of the third, and Morales-Alves plated her with an RBI single. The Orange loaded the bases again in the fourth and added three runs on an RBI single by Madelyn Lopez and a two-run single by Breen. Peyton Schemmer extended the lead to 7-0 with a solo homer in the fifth.

Verni allowed two of her four hits in the final two innings but effectively closed the back door on Buffalo to secure the 7-0 win. The junior has been nearly flawless for SU this year, but Friday was her best outing of the young season. She racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts en route to her second complete-game shutout of the season.

Game two began nearly identically for Syracuse. After a scoreless top half of the first from Knight, the Orange loaded the bases and scored twice. Breen knocked in Burney and Lopez with a two-run double — two of her four RBIs on the day.

From there, though, SU’s offense began to falter. Utah Valley leveled the game at two after an RBI single by Tatum Hall in the top of the second and an RBI double by Angelique Mann in the third. Syracuse tallied just two hits from the second to fifth innings, both being bunt singles.

Knight stayed strong on the mound through the middle innings, though. She escaped jams in the fifth and sixth, forcing the Wolverines to strand runners in scoring position twice. Her best inning was the seventh, topping off a complete game by fanning two batters. Knight finished the afternoon striking out eight on 133 pitches.

The Orange finally found their answer offensively in the bottom of the seventh. Lopez and Breen reached on back-to-back singles to open the final frame. Morales-Alves was SU’s hero, crushing a double to left-center to score Lopez and walk it off, 3-2. The late-game heroics helped Syracuse improve to 11-0, further extending its best start in program history.

While the offensive effort was the difference on the scoreboard, both wins were guided by domination from the Orange rotation. Both Verni and Knight boast sub-one ERAs and remain undefeated on the season, starting in eight of SU’s 11 wins.

These are the types of performances Syracuse will need to rely on as it inches toward conference play and attempts to maintain its undefeated campaign.

Published on February 21, 2025 at 5:27 pm

harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6