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Atlantic Coast Conference play has not been kind to Syracuse since joining the league in 2014. Aside from the suspended 2020 season in which the Orange played just three games, SU has never finished above .500 in the ACC.

Entering Friday’s ACC opener against No. 20 Stanford, Syracuse had enjoyed unprecedented levels of success, going 16-3 in nonconference play to begin the year. Still, with almost all of their wins coming against sub-.500 squads, the Orange looked like they may have been in for a rude awakening in Palo Alto.

And while the night eventually concluded with a loss, SU proved it could hang with some of the conference’s powerhouses. Syracuse (16-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 20 Stanford (15-3, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) 4-3. Madison Knight continued her torrid start to 2025 by allowing just one earned run in a 134-pitch complete game, but the Orange left eight runners on base, including three in the seventh to halt a late rally.

Syracuse began the season 9-2 when scoring in the first inning, and it’s often relied on these early advantages to ignite the offense. The Orange looked to do the same Friday, as they got two runners aboard in the top of the first, both being hit by a pitch. SU failed to spark a two-out rally with a runner in scoring position, though.

Syracuse didn’t get another baserunner aboard until the third. Instead, the Cardinal got to Knight for four runs in the bottom of the second.

It began with a leadoff baserunner, as Kyra Chan reached on a fielding error and was driven home via a triple by Joie Economides. Caelan Koch drove Economides home with a single, and the Cardinal tacked on two more runs on an RBI triple by Taryn Kern and an RBI single from Emily Jones. Just one of the four runs was earned.

“Obviously (Stanford) is going to hit the ball hard, but more than anything, we just need to make plays behind Madison and keep it to the routine stuff,” SU head coach Shannon Doepking told ACC Network Extra following the top of the fourth inning.

The SU defense cleaned things up for the rest of the contest, not recording another error or unearned run. But the Orange found their most persistent trouble in the batter’s box. Entering the fifth inning, SU hadn’t recorded a hit against Stanford starter Kylie Chung.

“We need to anchor (our hitting) to the ground better,” Doepking told ACC Network Extra following the top of the fourth. “We’re getting really spinny and popping a lot of balls up. It all starts in the bottom half.”

The Orange made the necessary adjustments come the fifth. Tessa Galipeau opened the frame with a single to break Chung’s no-hit bid, and Taylor Posner walked to put two on with no outs. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, and a single into left field by Jadyn Burney put SU on the board. Madelyn Lopez added a second run with a bloop single to left that scored Posner. Syracuse trailed 4-2 after the fifth.

Neither team showed many sparks until the top of the seventh, SU’s final chance to cut into its two-run deficit. The Orange loaded the bases with no outs, as Posner, Vanessa Flores and Burney reached on a hit by pitch, a walk and a single. A one-out RBI walk by Angie Ramos cut the deficit to one, but back-to-back flyouts with the bases loaded ended the game.

Though Syracuse’s first ACC game in California ended with a missed opportunity, it’s a result the Orange can build on. SU’s pitching staff has been one of the most dominant in the country this season, and its offense has shown sparks at times. Untimely errors and poor situational hitting cost it Friday.

Nonetheless, if Syracuse can tighten up its defense and find big hits in the clutch, it’s capable of competing with the top dogs of the conference and contending in the ACC.

Published on March 8, 2025 at 12:06 am

harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6