The Syracuse softball team anticipated the possibility of Cornell’s Lauren May making the clutch hit that would determine the outcome.

When May stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning, the Big Red trailed the Orange by two runs. SU softball coach Mary Jo Firnbach debated back and forth what she should do.

Should she have Orange pitcher Erin Downey walk May? This move would allow a run and risk the possibility of another Cornell hitter pulling through after May.

Or should Firnbach tell Downey to pitch to her? The previous inning, May ripped a two-run shot.

Firnbach chose the latter, but May capitalized on the bases loaded opportunity by smacking a grand slam over the left-field wall. Her grand slam ultimately became the game-winning hit as the Big Red defeated the Orange, 6-5, Wednesday at Syracuse Softball Stadium.

Cornell and Syracuse played only one game of its doubleheader. Officials cancelled the second game due to poor fielding conditions.

‘You live with your decisions,’ Firnbach said about pitching to May. ‘I don’t know if we would’ve done it any different, honestly.’

Looking back on 20/20 hindsight, it’s easy to speculate what could have been. Sure, May was the sole offensive contributor. She drove in all of Cornell’s runs and smacked two homers.

But first baseman Erin Murtha, a .375 hitter, followed May in the batting order. She failed to hit in three of her at-bats, but all of them were strong. SU just successfully fielded them.

If SU and Cornell replayed the scenario again, the result would be uncertain. But in this case, it’s certain this play decided the game.

‘Mary Jo (Firnbach) did what she had to do,’ said Cornell softball head coach Dick Blood. ‘You can’t walk. We don’t have Barry Bonds here. Kids are going to make mistakes.’

Trailing 6-4 in the seventh inning, Syracuse did what it could not to let that grand slam determine the outcome. After Cassie Morales flied out, shortstop Alexis Switenko drew a walk. First baseman Courtney Mosch ripped a grounder to third baseman Caitlin Warren, but she could only force out Switenko at second.

Pitcher Jenn Meunier walked Shawna Norris, allowing Mosch to advance to scoring position. Erin Gray singled to left field and pinch runner Tiffany Robinson beat the Ashley Wolf relay throw, cutting Cornell’s lead to 6-5.

The next batter, catcher Jaime Grillo, ripped a line drive, which appeared to be the game winning hit. But right fielder Samantha Hare caught the ball to secure the win.

‘I couldn’t have hit the ball any more solid than I did,’ Grillo said. ‘It just went right at the right fielder. It was a major adrenaline deflator.’

After Syracuse opened the first inning with a 3-0 lead on five hits, the Orange’s offense deflated. Cassie Morales nailed a home-run to deep center field in the fourth inning and Gray’s single drove in a run in the seventh. Aside from those two plays, the Orange failed to advance runners.

At the beginning of the season, SU struggled with starting off strong. But since April the Orange has erased that habit. Wednesday, though, Syracuse secured the early lead only to relinquish it later.

Blood thought Meunier initially pitched conservatively. But soon enough she mixed in off-balance pitches and forced the Orange batters to swing at the bad ones. On the other hand, the Big Red needed to adjust to Erin Downey’s rise ball. Lately, Downey has also varied her pitches and location to keep batters guessing.

‘I just had to wait for a great pitch to go across the plate,’ May said. ‘I just needed the patience. She has some great stuff. I knew she had a good rise ball, and I just needed to stay off of it.’

Published on April 19, 2005 at 12:00 pm