What a difference a few days make.

In its matchup against Villanova on Friday, the Syracuse softball team couldn’t muster a hit. By Sunday, the Syracuse offense scored 26 runs, including six home runs and 29 hits in its 12-4 and 14-1 victories over Rutgers. Both games lasted five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Though the Scarlet Knights (3-37) won only one Big East game this season, the Orange can use the victories and its offensive power to propel it in the final week of the regular season.

Syracuse showcased its resilience to bounce back after a mishap. In game one, Rutgers center fielder Stephanie Johannsen smacked a solo shot in the first inning. During her next at-bat in the third inning, she slapped a three-run homer for a 4-1 lead. It was the first time Johannsen hit a homer this season.

In its 6-5 loss to Cornell last week, Orange ace Erin Downey fell victim to Lauren May who also blasted two home runs. Aside from the two against Rutgers, Downey only gave up two hits and struck out 13 batters.

‘It bothers me and it bothers us that it’s happening,’ said SU softball head coach Mary Jo Firnbach. ‘When I talked to her before that next inning happened, I told her that she’s a better pitcher to let that happen. It’s rare.’

The Orange quickly prevented the home runs from determining the outcome of the game. Chanel Roehner’s two-run home run literally hit her at-bat number on the scoreboard, offsetting the momentum Rutgers established earlier. Moments later, Erin Gray’s grand slam made the Scarlet Knights’ run irrelevant. The two blasts put Syracuse back in the lead, 7-3.

‘I was there to hit the ball on the ground,’ Gray said. ‘I wanted to score some runs. I didn’t expect to hit it over. It was kind of a surprise.’

With the way the game progressed, Courtney Mosch’s solo shot in the fourth and the Orange’s four runs in the fifth offered little shock.

SU’s performance against Rutgers was similar to the way it bounced back against Providence 12 days earlier. But why couldn’t the Orange do the same against the Wildcats?

‘It was a team like Rutgers,’ Roehner said. ‘When they hit a home run we knew we could get it back. Just the way our team had been hitting in both games today, we knew we were able to come back.’

The wind blew harder and Roehner said the Scarlet Knight’s pitches were easier to see. Firnbach also mentioned the confidence a team can have when playing a weaker opponent. Whatever worked in the first game against Rutgers carried over into the second game on offense and defense.

Mosch carried the strikeout torch Downey held by striking out 10 batters. Cassie Morales and Tanya Rose joined the slugfest everyone seemed invited to, helping the Orange sling a school record 14 runs.

‘If the other team scores that many runs early in the game, the only way not to get down for the rest of the game is to respond quickly,’ Downey said. ‘Otherwise, you’re going to be down the rest of the game and you’re not going to score.’

Published on April 24, 2005 at 12:00 pm