WASHINGTON, D.C. - Catholic baseball bounced back from its first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon to sweep Skidmore on Sunday afternoon, winning 7-4 and 14-5. The 14th-ranked Cardinals improve to 7-1 on the season and will now head down to Myrtle Beach for a five-game week at the Ripken Experience. 

GAME ONE - Catholic 7-4 Skidmore (7)

The Cardinals used a six-run second inning to jump on top of Skidmore on Sunday before closing out a 7-4 victory. Jesse Lacefield opened the inning with a free pass for the Cardinals, moving into scoring position on a single from Matthew Fisher. Derek Zelesnick laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, but Skidmore pitcher Grayden Harris threw it away, scoring Lacefield to make it a 1-0 game. Zach Burton reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases for the top of the Catholic order. Fisher was retired at home after Dante Pozzi bounced one to the shortstop, but the bases remained loaded for the Cardinals. Ben Nardi gave Catholic a 2-0 lead, drawing a bases-loaded walk. Mitchel Johnson continued his hot streak, doubling down the left-field line to score two more for the Cardinals. With two outs and a 4-0 lead, Joe Marini doubled to left center, scoring Nardi and Johnson to put Catholic ahead by six in the early going. 

Skidmore got back into it with three runs in the fourth with a couple of Catholic errors opening things up. The Thoroughbreds put runners on second and third after a double and an error and then plated two runs on another Catholic error. Later in the inning, Skidmore added a third run on an RBI groundout from Jadon Torrado. 

Catholic's lead shrunk to 6-4 in the fifth inning after back-to-back singles set up first and third for Trey Bourque who brought home a run with another RBI groundout. Catholic starting pitcher Tucker Alch worked out of the jam to keep it a two-run game. Lucas Malave led off the bottom of the inning with a triple down the right-field line before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Lacefield to give Catholic an extra insurance run. 

Brendan Martin pitched the seventh for Catholic, loading the bases before retiring the final three batters to secure the win and pick up his second save of the season. Alch earned win number two, pitching six innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out nine. 

Johnson had three hits with a double and two RBI, Marini had a double and a triple with two RBI, and Lacefield and Nardi each drove in runs for Catholic. 

GAME TWO - Catholic 14-5 Skidmore (7)

Despite trailing 3-0 and 5-4 in game two, the Cardinals scored 10 combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings to pick up a 14-5 victory. Catholic racked up 10 hits with four extra-base hits in the win. 

After the Thoroughbreds scored three unearned runs in the top of the second, Catholic answered with four of its own runs in the bottom of the inning. Marini led off the inning with a single to right center, advancing to second on a Michael Napolitano groundout. Lacefield was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with one out and the bases became loaded as Justin McCarthy reached on an error. Zach Burton turned on a 3-2 pitch and blasted it over the left field wall to put Catholic on top 4-3. 

Skidmore scored two more in the fourth off of Catholic starter Cody Bosak to jump back ahead 5-4. Shaw Pedemonti led off with a double down the line in right and Anthony Petersen walked to put two on with nobody away. Nate Vandersea put down a sac bunt, and Lacefield's throw pulled McCarthy off the bag at first to load them up for Danny Melillo who singled to tie the game at 4-4. Jackson Hornung hit a sac fly to left to put Skidmore back on top before Camden Mounts entered for Catholic to retire the side. 

Mounts kept the Thoroughbreds off the board until Catholic could strike back. They did just that in the bottom of the fifth, scoring eight runs on seven hits with two Skidmore errors mixed in. Nardi doubled to start the inning with a Johnson walk to follow. Malave tripled to right center, scoring the pair and putting Catholic back on top. Marini followed that up with a titanic blast to right and just like that it was 8-5 Cardinals. Pozzi brought in two more runs with a single to left center later in the inning. Burton scored the final run, stealing third before Bourque tossed it into left field to allow him to score, making it 12-5. 

Ryan Moore and Liam Walsh each picked up an RBI in the bottom of the sixth with fielder's choices to make it 14-5. 

Mounts earned his first win of the season, pitching 2.2 innings of relief, striking out all eight batters he retired. Marini and Burton both had two hits for Catholic. Marini reached base all four times, drawing a pair of walks as well. 

Catholic will travel down to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and start its trip versus Penn State-Berks on Tuesday at 1230 p.m.