COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Catholic University softball team opened the 2024 season by splitting a doubleheader with Ursinus on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals scored five runs in both games and held the Bears scoreless in game one before giving up seven in game two.
Game One – Catholic 5, Ursinus 0
Catholic starting pitcher Aubrynn Arcement owned the circle for all seven innings of game one.
Facing 26 batters, the sophomore who battled an injury last season only gave up three hits and two walks.
The Bears on the other hand sent two different pitchers to the circle. Starting pitcher Christa Andrusiew gave up seven hits and two runs before Stephanie Wichman came in as the reliever and allowed the Cardinals to add two hits and two runs to the board.
The Cardinals got the scoring started early with one run crossing the plate in the second inning. After Mia Szap singled to left field, Caroline Adams reached first on a throwing error and Szap advanced to third. Adams continued to cause disruption by stealing second and creating an opportunity for Szap to sprint home.
In the fifth inning, Katie Scolese drew a walk with one out on the board. Sophia Fike came up to the plate and singled to left field, pushing Scolese to second. Toni Ruley capitalized on her opportunity to extend the Cardinals' lead with two women on by hitting a single and driving in two RBIs.
With a 3-0 lead, Catholic drove in two more runs in the top of the seventh to finish things off. Amanda Gomez laid down a bunt to get on base from the lead-off spot. Scolese followed by reaching first on a throwing error as Gomez advanced to third. Fike singled again to push Gomez across and record an RBI. Ruley then came up to the plate with two outs, Scolese on third and Garza on first, reaching on a fielder's choice to push Scolese across for her team-best third RBI of the day
Game Two – Catholic 5-7 Ursinus
The Ursinus bats came alive in game two, driving in seven runs on 13 hits. The Bears got off to an early start with two runs in the first inning after singles by the first two batters followed by a two-RBI hit from Kayla Carr.
The Cardinals held their own, recording ten hits and driving in five runs. They scored two runs to tie the game in the third inning with RBIs from Scolese and Szap. Adams reached on a bunt to start the inning and advanced to second on a Gomez sacrifice bunt. Scolese doubled to right center to drive in Adams before Szap singled to center field allowing Scolese to score.
The Bears came charging back in the bottom of the inning, regaining the lead by three.
After giving up two more runs in the fourth, the Cardinals made things exciting in the fifth with two runs, three hits and two left on base. After Gomez started the inning with a single to right field and advanced to second on a wild pitch, Fike moved her to third on an infield single. Another wild pitch allowed Gomez to score and Fike gained a base. Szap then laid down a bunt down the third-base line to score Fike.
Catholic added one more run in the seventh. Fike hit a lead-off double and advanced to third on a Szap groundout. After drawing a walk, Ruley got caught stealing second, but Fike crossed the plate during the throw-down to cut the deficit to two but the Cardinal comeback fell short.
Ruley led the team in RBIs with three on the day while Gomez was the hit-leader with five. Fike and Szap both had four hits in total and Szap added two RBIs in her first collegiate game. The victory in game one marked head coach Sophie Maccarone's first career victory.
Catholic will compete against Hood in its home-opener double-header on Thursday, Feb. 29. Game one is set to start at 3 p.m.
