University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Syracuse
Minutewomen Split Pair Of Pitching Duels With The Orange
April 22, 2011 | Softball
April 22, 2011
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
AMHERST, Mass. - After falling in a pitchers duel in, 2-1 in game one, Sara Plourde tossed a two-hit shutout in game two to give the Minutewomen a 2-0 victory and split their doubleheader with Syracuse on Friday afternoon at the UMass Softball Complex. Plourde and the Orange's Jenna Caira each went the distance in both games and combined to allow just three earned runs and struck out 42 total batters.
Starting pitchers Plourde and Caira combined to strike out 30 batters in a game one, with each team's ace recording 15. Plourde allowed two runs on six hits and four walks. She allowed her first earned run of the season at home, seeing her streak end at 41 innings pitched.
Both hurlers tossed two-hitters in game two, with Plourde striking out five with one walk in her shutout and Caira allowing two runs, one earned, with seven strikeouts and one walk.
The Minutewomen took a 1-0 lead in game two in the bottom of the second inning. Audrey Boutin led off with the first hit of the game and her pinch-runner, Candace Waldie, took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored when the first baseman, Jasmine Watson, threw the ball away trying to double her off at third base.
UMass again manufactured a run with just one hit in the fifth inning. Teea Rogers led off with an infield single, was bunted over to second by Jordan Storro, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a third-strike wild pitch to Cyndil Matthew.
Plourde retired the final six batters she faced in game two, capped off by a diving catch in center field by Matthew to end the game.
Caira allowed just one hit in game one, a single by the first batter of the game for UMass, Kyllie Magill. She walked four and the run scored off her in game one was unearned.
Lisaira Daniels was the story at the plate in game one, the junior rightfielder went 3-for-4 with a solo home run to right-center on a 1-2 pitch with one out in the top of the third that put the Orange on top and snapped Plourde's streak.
The Orange took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when Jasmine Watson doubled to left center after Rachel Helman led off the frame with a walk.
The Minutewomen got a run back in the seventh inning and had the tying run at third base when the final out was recorded. Stephanie Mayne led off with a walk, her pinch-runner, Waldie, advanced to second on a throwing error that put Rogers on base. After two strikeouts, Caira threw the ball away on a comebacker to the circle by Matthew, allowing Waldie to score, but Magill grounded out to Caira to end the first game.
The game one loss snapped UMass' 10-game winning streak and was its first loss of the season at home. The Minutewomen are now 8-1 in Amherst.
The Minutewomen continue their homestand when they host George Washington in an Easter Sunday doubleheader at the UMass Softball Complex beginning at noon.
