HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The Catholic University women's softball team took home a pair of one-run victories over Juniata on Saturday at West End Field.

The Cardinals (10-6, 3-1 LC) used hot bats in both games to get out to early leads. Catholic was able to edge the Eagles late in game one and was able to hold on in game two. 

Catholic 8, Juniata 7

The Cardinals wasted no time getting the bats going, as they scored on the first at-bat of the game and built a 5-0 lead after just two innings. 

Sophomore Sophia Fike led off the game in style. After falling behind in the count 0-2, she blastied a solo home run to right field.

The Cardinals would plate two more in the inning as Juniata were architects of their own demise. After a single by freshman Amanda Gomez, an error, an infield pop up that allowed Gomez to score, and another error put the Eagles in a 3-0 hole before they even picked up a bat.

Catholic added two more in the second, when junior Katie Hurd hit a two-out, two-RBI double to plate junior Sarah Spaeth and Fike. 

Hurd, making her 11th appearance of the season in the circle and ninth start, only allowed one hit in the first two innings. Juniata did get two back in the third, when Caleigh Love hit a two-RBI single. She was thrown out trying to advance to second, however, which helped Catholic stem the bleeding and prevent a big inning.

Fike hit her second home run of the game, blasting another lead-off, solo shot to begin the fourth and extend Catholic's lead back to four, 6-2.

Graduate student Allie Lajeunesse added an RBI single in the top of the sixth, plating sophomore Lilianna Vidal who came on as a pinch runner for Gomez after she started the inning with a single. 

Juniata fought back in the bottom of the inning. Three different Eagles came up with RBI base hits to cut the lead to 7-5. Then, with two outs and runners on second and third, Hurd committed a throwing error that allowed both runners to score and Juniata to knot the game at seven. 

Catholic were then able to manufacture a run in the top of the seven to put themselves back on top. Spaeth led off the inning by reaching on an error. Sophomore Caroline Adams then executed a successful sacrifice bunt that pushed Spaeth to second. She advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch with two outs to restore the Cardinal lead at 8-7.

Hurd then worked out a jam to get redemption for her earlier error and earn the win for the team. Juniata singled to get the tying run on base with one out. Then, with two outs, Hurd walked a batter to push the tying run to second and put the winning run on first. Hurd then secured a clutch ground out to push the Cardinals to victory. 

The win brought Hurd's record to 6-3 and marked her seventh complete game of the season. She faced 34 batters and threw 105 pitches. Eagle starter Cate Baran got the loss in a complete game effort. She fell to 3-5.

Catholic 4, Juniata 3

A big third inning carried Catholic to victory in game two of the doubleheader. 

Neither team was able to push across any runs in the first two innings, despite each team having multiple hits before the third. Catholic were able to make the breakthrough in the third, however, when they exploded for four runs.

With the bases loaded and one out, junior Sammy Phillips came through with a single to right field that drove in Fike and Gomez. Phillips and Hurd, who was on second after Phillips' single, advanced on a wild pitch before a Lajeunesse groundout scored Hurd. Graduate student Makayla Czan came up with a two-out RBI when she singled to center field to score Phillips and complete Catholic four-run third. 

Sophomore starting pitcher Justina Benvenuto only allowed two hits through the first two innings, and sent the Eagles down one, two, three in the bottom of the third after Catholic's big offensive inning.

Juniata, however, was able to get to her in the fourth. Catcher Maya McLeod led off the inning with a home run to center field. The Eagles were then able to load the bases with three singles. With one out, Benvenuto got a ground ball that should have resulted in an out, but an error by the catcher allow a run to score and everyone to reach base safely. The next batter grounded out to second base, but pushed across another run to make it 4-3. Benvenuto was then able to secure a pop up to end the inning and send her team to the dug out with the lead still intact.

The score remained 4-3 down the stretch, and Juniata would get its final chance in the seventh. After Benvenuto got a pop out to begin the inning, Eagle hitters got to her for back-to-back singles, and both runners advanced to second and third respectively on the throw following the second single.

Hurd then replace Benvenuto in the circle with the tying run on third and the winning run on second. Hurd secured a line out to third base before getting Ruthie Betts to ground out to first base to strand the tying and winning runs in scoring position and secure the win for Catholic. 

Benvenuto got the victory and moved to 4-3 on the year while Eagle starter Catherine Miller, who pitched a complete game, got hit with the loss and fell to 1-4. 

Fike combined over the two games to go 4-for-8 with two home runs, two singles, one walk, two RBIs and four runs scored. Phillips hit 5-for-8 over the two games, with five singles, two RBIs and two runs scored. 

Catholic returns to action on Wednesday, April 6, when it hosts the Stevenson Mustangs. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 3 p.m.