HAMILTON – Virginia Irby and Rebecca Johnson notched two hits apiece and Bella Crow fired six strong innings in the circle to lead Colgate to a well-rounded 4-2 victory over Syracuse in its home opener Wednesday evening at Eaton Street Field.
 
Colgate set the tone with three runs on four hits in the home half of the first. Johnson sent a double to the bottom of the wall in left field and Meghan Romero slapped the first pitch she saw into left to put two runners on base. 

After a Morgan Farrah flyout advanced both runners into scoring position, Irby smacked a single up the middle to bring home the first two runs of the game. Irby came around to score on a double down the left field line by Jordan Miller to stretch the Raiders' lead to 3-0 after one inning of play.
 
Farrah blasted her fourth homer of the season over the wall in left field in the third inning and Colgate was in control, 4-0.
 
Syracuse's Miranda Hearn came in for relief and did not allow a hit the rest of the way. She calmed the Raider bats with one walk and three strikeouts over the final 3 2/3 innings.
 
The Orange got on the board in the fifth on an RBI double from Alicia Hansen. Crow escaped the jam with an inning-ending popout to strand two runners in scoring position.
 
Crow cruised into the seventh with the Raiders in front 4-1, but she was unable to finish off her complete game after an RBI double from Hansen cut the deficit to 4-2. 
 
Jessica Hay entered the game and kept Hansen at second base, locking down the save with a groundout and lineout securing the 4-2 victory for the Raiders.
 
BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 4, Syracuse 2
 
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate is now 18-21 overall with the win.
• Syracuse fell to 18-23 on the season after the loss.
 
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach Marissa Lamison-Myers:

"Today was a great bounce-back win for us. Bella did a fantastic job in the circle for us, keeping their hitters at bay while allowing our offense to do what they do best. We now set our sites on Holy Cross this weekend and look to take it one pitch at a time."

KEY RAIDER NOTES
• Colgate has its highest win total since 2012, when the Raiders finished 19-28.
• The Raiders improved to 4-8 all-time against Syracuse.
• Irby and Johnson paced Colgate offensively with two hits apiece.
• Six different Raiders finished with a hit in the win.
• Crow improved to 10-9 in the circle, scattering nine hits and two earned runs with a pair of strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
• Hay picked up the final two outs to seal her second save of the season.

UP NEXT
• Colgate hosts Holy Cross this weekend in a big three-game set at Eaton Street Field.
• The Patriot League series starts with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.