Sydney O’Hara pounded her glove as she left the mound Friday against North Carolina, trotting toward the dugout after recording her fourth out of the day.

O’Hara’s face scrunched in concentration at Leigh Ross’ appearance from the dugout. The head coach clapped her hands enthusiastically, encouraging the sophomore who was returning to the pitching circle for the first time in three weeks.

“Syd’s a very good pitcher,” Ross said after the game. “… She needed to get out there… We grew a lot today.”

O’Hara, a pitcher and first baseman, expects to throw for Syracuse (14-19, 1-7 Atlantic Coast) as it faces off against Binghamton (12-11, 3-2 America East) in a Wednesday doubleheader in Vestal, New York starting at 3 p.m. Though still limited as she recovers from what she said was “an overuse of the forearm,” O’Hara will add depth to a pitching staff that needs more of it.

Last season, O’Hara led Syracuse in the circle going 16-12 with a 3.83 ERA and 159 strikeouts over 153.2 innings of work as the team’s primary pitcher. This year, there were supposed to be more pitchers to compliment her. And with Friday being O’Hara’s return along with the first collegiate start for freshman AnnaMarie Gatti, that depth may have finally arrived to complement Jocelyn Cater.

“When we get our pitchers rest, success follows,” said Mike Bosch, the assistant coach in charge of the pitchers.

Finding out from doctors that she couldn’t pitch devastated O’Hara. She said she almost cried since no one has ever told her that she was unable to play softball before.

After the initial reaction, O’Hara set her sights on rehab and helping her team anyway she could. To recover, O’Hara didn’t pitch and instead rested her arm, icing frequently.

She continued to play in the field and went on an offensive tear at the plate. Heading into the doubleheader against UNC on Friday, O’Hara had been hitting .306 with 15 RBIs, nine runs scored, five home runs and a double over the last 12 games.

But despite the success at the plate, O’Hara was excited to get back to the mound.

In her return, O’Hara surrendered only two hits, but three runs with it. She walked the first batter to begin the seventh inning, and soon with a fielder’s choice and a hit batter, there were two runners on base. O’Hara left a ball hanging and North Carolina’s Jenna Kelly capitalized, hitting a three-run home run.

Still, O’Hara thought it was a growing experience, saying that she needed the outing.

“I hit my locations and my speed was there,” O’Hara said about her return. “All the hits they got, they got because they’re a good hitting team.”

Over the 76 2/3 inning stretch between Friday and O’Hara’s last appearance on the mound, Cater pitched 51 innings and four other pitchers combined for the other 25 2/3. Bosch said that Cater threw “a little more innings than we’d like” and believes that now SU will be more dangerous.

Cater and O’Hara throw the ball with different styles, Bosch said. O’Hara throws right-handed and Cater left-handed which, while elementary, is a different look that can confuse hitters.

It’s the addition of last year’s ace but more importantly, a piece that will add another dimension to an SU team in need of one.

“We’ve been shorthanded for a few weeks,” Bosch said. “And now hopefully we can get a jumpstart with their return.”

Published on April 7, 2015 at 10:56 pm

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu