AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The bats came alive as the Catholic University softball team swept a doubleheader to conclude its spring break trip to Florida.

GAME ONE — Catholic 9-1 Emmanuel (Mass.) (6 innings)

Katie Hurd and Justina Benvenuto were brilliant again in the circle for the Cardinals. Coming off a game where the pair combined for just five hits and one run in a shutout loss, the duo performed well again, this time in a winning effort.

The Cardinals got off to a successful start as Hurd struck out the side in the top of the first inning. Catholic then jumped on Emmanuel as Alex Garza and Amanda Gomez led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back singles. While it looked like the Saints might escape the frame unscathed, a two-out single from Katie Scolese pushed the Cardinals ahead.

The Saints responded in the second inning, however, pulling level via a Catholic error. Hurd did well to strand two runners on base and get back into the dugout knotted at one.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the fourth, when Kaitlyn Murphy blasted a three-run bomb to left field, bringing home Sarah Spaeth and Aubrynn Arcement. The blast marked the junior catcher's first career home run, putting the Cardinals up 4-1.

Hurd came back out for the fifth inning but was removed after allowing a lead-off single. It was then Benvenuto's turn to shine. After walking a batter and seeing the runners advance to second and third via a wild pitch and a steal, the junior struck out back-to-back batters to strand two runners in scoring position.

Hurd finished with four strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one unearned run.

It was another stressful situation for the Cardinals and Benvenuto in the top of the sixth, when the Saints loaded the bases with just one away. However, the junior produced another clutch strikeout before forcing a groundout to Hailee Weiss at second base to get out of the jam.

Catholic then blew it open in the bottom of the inning, hanging five on Emmanuel to end the game via the run rule. The Cardinals scored all five runs with two outs as Garza drove the first in with an RBI single before an error put Bruce McConkey's team up 6-1. Arcement then blasted a monster shot to right-center field to cap off the inning and end the contest.

Eight Cardinals recorded hits in the victory as the freshman Arcement went 3-for-4 with what was also her first-career home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Weiss, Garza, and Gomez all registered multiple hits.

Hurd and Benvenuto combined to strike out seven batters while only allowing three hits and a single unearned run. Hurd earned her second win of the season while Bevenuto get credited with the two-inning save.

GAME TWO — Catholic 7-5 Rivier

Catholic was hindered by errors in game two but showed resilience to battle back as Arcement played a key role again.

After the Cardinals went down one-two-three to open the game, the Raiders pushed out to an early one-run advantage. After the lead-off batter reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch, a single up the middle allowed Rivier to gain the lead before Catholic could record an out.

After neither team scored in the second, Hurd, playing in left field after pitching in game one, singled up the middle with two outs to score Grace Tolle and knot the game at one.

It was a calamity of mistakes in the field, however, that allowed the Raiders to respond immediately. Four third-inning errors allowed Rivier to push across four runs, all of which were unearned. To that point, the Raiders had scored five runs off of Arcement in the circle but not a single one was earned. Olivia Stinchcomb did relieve her and got all three outs in the inning.

After both teams blanked in the fourth, Catholic stormed back in the fifth, plating six runs to take the lead. Tolle reached on a fielder's choice before she was driven in by Weiss. Hurd and Gomez then reached base before an infield hit by Amy Gastright saw the runners go station-to-station and brought the score to 5-3.

Then, Arcement stepped to the plate for Stinchcomb, smashing her second home run of the day to power Catholic into the lead. The grand slam flew over the center-field wall, elevating her to a staggering seven RBIs on the day.

The freshman Stinchcomb then did brilliantly in the circle to send Rivier down one-two-three after the Cardinals' comeback inning. In fact, Stinchcomb retired the final nine batters in order, protecting the Cardinal lead to earn the victory and secure the doubleheader sweep.

The Cardinals will now face an eight-day hiatus from competitive action and return to Washington, D.C., before traveling to Wilkes University. They will do battle with the Colonels on Sunday, March 19, with first pitch in game one of the doubleheader scheduled for noon.