PISCATAWAY, NJ – The Rutgers softball team (6-25, 1-7 BIG EAST) dropped a pair of games 8-0 and 5-1 to Syracuse (18-14, 7-1 BIG EAST) on Sunday, April 2, at the RU Softball Complex.

Freshman Christina Yard (Hillsborough, NJ) took the loss (2-8) in game one, pitching six innings while giving up eight runs on 15 hits and striking out four. Yard and freshman Brittany Loisel (Gilbert, AZ) notched the Scarlet Knights only two hits of the game as they both posted singles up the middle.

Game two remained scoreless until the fourth when the Orange plated two runs in the top half of the inning. With two outs, Tonye McCorkle drove in Rachel Tilford and Nicole Miller on a two-run double to left field to put Syracuse up 2-0.

Rutgers responded in the home half when junior Kristin Madoch (Glenview, IL) earned a leadoff walk and advanced to second on freshman Kim Hodges’ (Houston, TX) sacrifice bunt. Madoch eventually reached third on a wild pitch and was brought home on a single through the left side from freshman Sarah Kalka (Moreno Valley, CA), bringing the Scarlet Knights to within one.

Syracuse pulled away in the sixth, starting the inning with an infield single and a walk to put runners into scoring position. Two batters later, the Orange added insurance runs with the help of Heather Kim’s three-run home run.

The Scarlet Knights will look to bounce back on Wednesday, April 5, when they welcome Army to the RU Softball Complex for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 pm.