HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The Catholic University softball team swept Juniata College on the road today, posting a 5-2 and 10-3 victory over the Eagles. 

Nine Cardinals recorded 15 runs on 17 hits, including seven doubles and 15 RBIs to dominate the Eagles in fourteen innings of action. Pitchers Katie Hurd and Justina Benvenuto both pitched complete games allowing only five runs on 11 hits together. 

Catholic 5, Juniata 2

Juniata got ahead at the bottom of the second when a wild pitch and throwing error allowed the first run of the game to cross the plate. An uneventful several innings continued until the bottom of the sixth when Juniata lengthened their lead by another run. 

The Cardinals stepped up big time with a seventh inning rally, scoring five runs on four hits. Junior Taylor Forgen led off the inning with a single up the middle and was switched out at first with pinch runner Caroline Adams. Senior McKenzie Plante reached first and then advanced to second on a fielding error, moving Adams to third. With two Cardinals in scoring position, junior Sophie Maccarone approached the plate with a sacrifice fly, scoring Adams for her first collegiate run and bringing the score to 2-1. 

Following a walk by senior Makayla Czan, Hurd pulled ahead of the Eagles with a clutch double to left field to score Plante and Czan. The Cardinals did not stop there. Senior Giselle Diaz kept the energy high with a double down the left field line to score Hurd. 

A wild pitch advanced Diaz to third where sophomore Sarah Spaeth singled to center field, bringing in the fifth and final run for the Cards. The bottom of the seventh proved to be hitless for the Eagles with Catholic's defense wrapping up game one three-up-three-down. 

Hurd pitched all seven innings, allowing four hits and recording five strikeouts. She improves her record to 3-0 and boasts a 0.67 ERA. 

Catholic 10, Juniata 3

Running off game one's high, the Cardinals kept the same momentum moving into game two. Catholic jumped ahead with a three-run lead by the end of the second inning as a result of a walk, stolen base, defensive error and two hits . The lead forced Juniata to their bullpen early, switching up their mound after just  0.1 innings pitched. 

A single by Diaz and a double from sophomore Sammy Phillips scored another Cardinal run, extending the lead to 4-0 at the top of the third. The Eagles responded with a two-run inning as a result of two hits in the Cardinal's gaps to make it a three run game heading into the fourth. 

Two scoreless innings later, Catholic's offense exploded into another rally and hit up and down their lineup. The Eagles could not stop the steady flow of Cardinal hits, beginning with a single from senior Allie Lajeunesse. She was scored by Plante with an RBI-single to left field followed by junior Bella Ronca's two-run RBI. Czan's single to left center scored Ronca for a now 7-2 advantage over the Eagles. 

Three more runs by Spaeth, Czan and Diaz would conclude Catholic's score. With Juniata only producing a single run in the bottom of the seventh, game two ended with a 10-3 final. 

Benvenuto recorded her first collegiate win in the circle allowing only three runs off seven hits, striking out two and walking none. 

Catholic will look to continue their win streak when they host Juniata on Monday, April 5th. First pitch is at 3 P.M.