A week-long Spring Break trip to Florida sounds relaxing — unless you’re a member of the Syracuse softball team.

The Orangewomen returned yesterday from a week in Florida, during which they played in tournaments hosted by Central Florida and Florida International.

SU went 4-6 and ran its overall record to 6-12. The Orangewomen capped off the weekend by winning two of three games Sunday, including a win over No. 24 Massachusetts.

‘Our goal is to catch up with other programs,’ SU head coach Mary Jo Firnbach said. ‘The more games you play the better. Winning two games on the last day was a step in the right direction, and the win over UMass was big.’

In a season complicated by canceled tournaments and long road trips, Firnbach said the week was uncharacteristically normal. The biggest hitch was a stretch where SU lost five consecutive games, three coming by one run and two in extra innings.

‘We should have never put ourselves in that position,’ Firnbach said. ‘If we did things properly and didn’t leave runners in scoring position, we wouldn’t have been there. We have to use it as a learning experience.’

Several struggling players found success in Florida.

Outfielder Tanya Rose had one hit in Syracuse’s first eight games and lost her third spot in the batting order. But last week, Rose hit .333 at the Blue and Gold Classic hosted by Florida International, good enough for a spot on the All-Tournament team. In Sunday’s 9-5 loss to No. 20 Texas A&M, Rose went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.

‘She was down in the count 0-2 and the pitcher made a mistake,’ Aggies head coach Jo Evans said of the home run. ‘She did a very good job taking advantage of it, and that’s what good hitters do.’

Said Firnbach: ‘We saw the Tanya that we know. The skills were there. It’s the mental game that we had to (address).’

Junior-college transfer pitcher Haley Larsen picked up the win against UMass, giving up two runs on six hits in seven innings. Senior pitcher Tara DiMaggio won twice and improved her record to 4-6.

‘Our pitching staff is going to be key,’ Firnbach said. ‘We have the utmost confidence that we’ll score runs.’

Evans has watched the SU program progress and believes this year’s team is the most talented yet.

‘This is the most athletic team SU has had,’ Evans said. ‘When it’s early, it’s hard to get into a rhythm.’

The Orangewomen have almost two weeks off until their March 29 Big East opener at Virginia Tech. Firnbach hopes the Orangewomen can get outside for practice, but she knows not to count on leaving the Carrier Dome quite yet.

‘The first thing I did when I got back is went up to check the field conditions,’ Firnbach said. ‘If the weather is good and we can practice outdoors, then that’s best. But you can’t worry about things you can’t control.’

Published on March 18, 2003 at 12:00 pm