SOUTH BEND, Ind. (theACC.com) – Syracuse defeated Virginia, 8-2, Wednesday in the first game of the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Championship at Melissa Cook Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The No. 9 seeded Orange advance to play the No. 1 seed Florida State on Thursday at 11 a.m. in the first quarterfinal game.
Laila Alves and Angel Jasso each had three hits to lead a 10-hit attack for Syracuse (24-25-1).
After a 1-2-3 inning to open ACC Softball Championship play, Virginia leadoff batter Kelly Ayer singled to the shortstop before later scoring off a sacrifice fly from Tori Gilbert to give Virginia (30-22) a 1-0 lead after the first. The Cavaliers extended their lead in the third inning to 2-0 after Lauren VanAssche scored off a groundout to first base.
Syracuse scored six unanswered runs in the next three innings to secure their spot in the quarterfinals.
All-ACC Freshman Team member Madison Knight hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie the game, and Syracuse took their first lead, 3-2, in the fifth inning when Knight scored on a UVA fielding error. In the sixth, the Orange tacked on two more runs with a two-RBI single from Alves before adding another from a bases-loaded walk to own a 6-2 lead.
Syracuse added a pair of insurance runs with two more runs after Alves and Knight reached on fielding errors before scoring to reach the final score, 8-2.
Knight earned the win in the circle to improve her season record to 14-8. In 7.0 innings, she struck out four, allowed six hits and two earned runs.
Tomorrow’s 11 a.m. matchup between the Orange and the Seminoles will be broadcast on ACCN.
2023 ACC Softball Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 10
Game 1: #9 Syracuse 8, #8 Virginia 2
Game 2: #7 Notre Dame vs. #10 Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m., ACCN
Thursday, May 11
Game 3: #1 Florida State vs. #9 Syracuse, 11 a.m., ACCN
Game 4: #4 Louisville vs. #5 Virginia Tech, 1:30 p.m., ACCN
Game 5: #2 Duke vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m., ACCN
Game 6: #3 Clemson vs. #6 North Carolina, 7:30 p.m., ACCN
Friday, May 12
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1 p.m., ACCN
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 3:30 p.m., ACCN
Saturday, May 13
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1 p.m., ESPN2