Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Lindsey Hendrix had let up just one run through six innings against the third-best scoring offense in the country in No. 15 Virginia Tech.

Trinity Martin led off the seventh for the Hokies and fought to a 3-2 count. Hendrix wasn’t fazed and zipped a high fastball right past the swinging bat of Martin for the first out of the inning.

Zoe Yaeger followed, but Hendrix walked her. The tying run was on base. Emma Ritter quickly jumped on the next pitch, though Rebecca Clyde was right there to field a ground ball and got the force out at second. One out away from euphoria.

“I try not to put as much emphasis on the fact that it’s the final three outs,” Hendrix said postgame. “It’s just focusing on one out at a time.”

Addy Greene hit a lazy fly ball to left field, which was caught by Olivia Pess to seal Syracuse’s first win over a top-25 team since 2022.

“We really just buckled down,” SU two-way player Madison Knight said. “We knew that this is one of the best teams in the country and you have to play almost perfect to beat them.”

Behind Hendrix’s stellar outing on the mound, Syracuse (24-20, 6-13 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated No. 15 Virginia Tech (37-10-1, 17-5 ACC) 2-1 Friday to begin its three-game series. Hendrix struck out four batters and let up just five hits on her way to pitching a complete game. She was the key, as a struggling SU offense needed solid pitching to carry it past a top team in the country.

The Hokies made contact on two hard-hit balls in the first inning. One from Ritter went for a line out to Taylor Posner in left field while a line drive from Bre Peck turned into a two-out double. But Hendrix forced a groundout to end the inning unscathed.

Hendrix bounced back in the second with a quick one-two-three inning, striking out Michelle Chatfield after coming back from a 3-0 count. In the bottom of the inning, Knight opened the scoring on her fourth home run of the year, giving SU a 1-0 lead.

Two quick outs began the third before Posner made SU’s lone error of the day in left field. Hendrix hit Greene with a pitch, creating a chance for VT to strike back, but the defense made up for its earlier mistake as Clyde fielded a hard Peck ground ball and threw to second. The throw was low, but Makenzie Foster caught it while falling and kept her foot on the bag to end the threat.

“I love playing behind Lindsey,” Clyde said. “She’s the best pitcher to play behind.”

Cori McMillan opened the fourth inning with a long home run. Then, a single proceeded as VT registered its second and third hits of the day. But it did not affect Hendrix. She got the next three Hokies out and kept the game knotted at 1-1.

“A home run is just one pitch,” Hendrix said. “Everyone makes mistakes when it comes to pitching, and one pitch is not that big of a deal.”

Syracuse got its lead back in the bottom of the fourth as Foster reached on a fielder’s choice with Angie Ramos sitting on third. With more help from Foster making two jumping catches up the middle, SU held its lead through five innings.

“I think we took a lot of pride in our defense today,” Clyde said. “When we can pitch and play defense (well), we can win ballgames.”

From the fifth inning and on, the Hokies attacked Hendrix earlier in counts. They had been off-balance at the plate, and needed to adjust.

The newfound strategy didn’t work for VT, though, as Hendrix produced another shutout inning. McMillan grounded out, then Cameron Fagan followed with a single. Chatfield flew out, and Angel Jasso ended the inning with a diving catch in center field.

“The goal was to mix as much as possible and just keep mixing speeds,” Hendrix said. “Being able to establish a changeup is really good and I feel like that gets in hitters’ heads.”

Hendrix then finished off the complete game with a clean seventh inning, giving the Orange picked up a much-needed victory. The senior pitcher held the Hokies to five hits, and just a single run.

“I am ecstatic for Lindsey (Hendrix),” Knight said.

Published on April 26, 2024 at 6:47 pm

Contact Nick: nsjepson@syr.edu