SCRANTON, Pa. - The Catholic University softball team saw their season come to an end when they fell to Scranton twice on Sunday, 4-0 and 8-0. 

The Cardinals struggled to get their offense going and recorded only five hits across twelve innings of play with no runs scored. Senior Allie Lajeunesse and junior Bella Ronca both went 2-for-4 at the plate with singles. 

Freshman Justina Benvenuto, sophomore Katie Hurd and Lajeunesse appeared in the circle for Catholic. 

Game One: Scranton 4, Catholic 0:

The Cardinal defense and pitching held off any Royal runs from crossing the plate until the top of the fourth. A single by Scranton got the inning going followed by a series of wild pitches which allowed baserunners to occupy second and third and gave Scranton the opportunity to score their first run of the day. 

In the fifth, a RBI-double caused two more runs to come in for Scranton and put Catholic behind 3-0. A solo home run in the sixth gave Scranton their final run and Catholic was unable to respond. 

Four Cardinals were left stranded on the basepaths and confirmed the game one shutout. 

Benvenuto took the loss from the mound where she fell to 2-3. She threw 5.0 innings and allowed all four of Scranton's runs off six hits. Lajeunesse came in for the relief with 2.0 innings pitched, allowing four hits and recording one strikeout. The Cardinals prepared to face Scranton for the third time in two days for game two. 

Game Two: Scranton 8, Catholic 0 (Five innings): 

The Royals maintained their offensive momentum heading into game two where they shut out the Cardinals again, 8-0. 

After three scoreless innings, Scranton got some three runs on the board as the result of two hits and a defensive error by Catholic. 

By the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinals were suffering a 5-0 deficit. A single and a Royal that was hit by a pitch put two runners on, who were brought home from a single to center field. 

Three more runs scored at the bottom of the fifth called for the run-rule. Two hits and smart baserunning put the Royals eight runs over the Cardinals, ending the game prematurely. 

Hurd started in the circle, throwing 3.0 innings and taking the loss for a final record of 7-4 on the season. She recorded two strikeouts of the 18 batters she faced and allowed half of Scranton's runs. Benvenuto pitched 1.0 inning and allowed three hits. 

Catholic concluded their 2021 season with an overall record of 13-9 and finished 11-7 in Landmark Conference play.