Syracuse trailed by two, and Nicole D’Argento was one out away from handing Boston College a doubleheader sweep.

Then Corinne Ozanne walked. Jasmine Watson doubled to cut the Eagles’ lead to one run. Julie Wambold fended off a loss by fouling off two pitches with two strikes, and would later score the game-winning run when Sydney O’Hara slapped a single to centerfield — her teammates pouring from the dugout as she crossed home plate.

The Orange’s demeanor was listless as it watched four different hitters fall behind with two outs and two strikes. But then it found itself in an exuberant walk-off celebration, uncharacteristic for a squad that SU head coach Leigh Ross said typically acts like it knows its going to win.

But this one was different.

“We fought so hard to come back and it was kind of that back-and-forth game and that huge hit at the end,” Ross said. “It was kind of nice that they showed that much emotion.”

O’Hara’s game-winner clinched a 13-12 win over Boston College (23-18, 7-10 Atlantic Coast) in the second game of a doubleheader at SU Softball Stadium before 87 fans on Wednesday. The Orange (19-19, 10-8) lost to the Eagles 2-0 in game one, but battled back after blowing a six-run lead in game two to win in dramatic fashion.

“Our team just stayed calm, I guess,” Wambold said. “We didn’t panic, we knew it was going to happen and we knew we were going to win. So that’s what we were thinking.”

The Orange exploded for six runs in the bottom of the third to take a 9-3 lead. Then Boston College scored eight unanswered runs over the next three innings — against Christina Clermont, Lindsey Larkin and O’Hara — to swing the score to 11-9.

Syracuse entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 12-10 after Boston College added an insurance run in the top of the frame, and D’Argento got two quick outs and needed just one more to cement the sweep of SU.

Then Ozanne walked and Watson doubled to right center to cut BC’s lead to one. Riley Johnson pinch ran for Watson and Wambold came to bat with the game on the line.

“I just had to stay calm,” Wambold said. “I wasn’t really nervous. My heart rate was going up, but nothing but that.”

Wambold wasn’t fazed and she orchestrated one of the most important at-bats of the game, fouling off two pitches before getting one she could work with.

“Right from the very start, her swing, the timing was right there,” Ross said. “Whenever you foul something off hard back, you know that your timing is right on and I think that was the big thing for her.”

Wambold finally singled up the middle, and Johnson crossed the plate and tied the game 12-12.

Just like that, everything that had transpired — the Orange blowing a six-run lead when it seemed to have the game wrapped up — was an afterthought and SU was on the upswing.

O’Hara, who had pitched in both games of the doubleheader and would collect a win in game two, came to the plate with a tailored approach and Wambold standing on second — 120 feet separating the Orange from a momentum-shifting, come-from-behind win.

“I know that if I hit the ball hard and on the ground, I would get her in, so that was my main focus,” O’Hara said. “No pop-ups or line drives because it would have been the third out.”

On a 1-2 pitch, the freshman singled up the middle and Ross waved Wambold past third base and across home plate.

And although it was the Orange’s first win this season after trailing through six innings, Ross said that the team has been resilient all year.

It just finally showed.

“They have this spirit, never say die,” Ross said. “Let’s give it a shot. There’s still outs left, so as long as we’ve got an out left, we’re still in this game.”

Published on April 17, 2014 at 1:38 am

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds