WASHINGTON, D.C. - Another tremendous outing from
Aubrynn Arcement led Catholic to a game one victory as they split Sunday's doubleheader with Scranton. The Cardinals are 19-9, 5-3 on the season while the Royals sit at 15-9, 2-6.
Game 1 - Catholic 2, Scranton 0
Arcement tossed her second straight complete game shutout as she earned her 10th victory of the season on a warm and windy Sunday afternoon in D.C. The sophomore scattered six hits and struck out four while extending her current scoreless inning streak to 19.
Catholic needed just two runs to come away on the winning side, scoring both in the third inning.
Sophia Fike dropped down a beautiful bunt single before advancing to second on a base knock to left from
Mia Szap. The Cardinals executed a perfect double steal to put two in scoring position for
Katie Scolese. The sophomore hit a sharp grounder to second, scoring Fike to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Amy Gastright put a charge into the next pitch, but it stayed in the yard, scoring Szap with a sacrifice fly to left.
The Royals threatened in the seventh with two runners on, but Scolese snared a line drive and doubled up the runner at first to end the game with a Catholic victory.
Fike and Szap each had a pair of hits while Szap's double in the first proved to be the lone extra-base hit of the game for the Cardinals. Gastright extended her hit streak to 12 with a single up the middle in the sixth inning.
Game 2 - Scranton 3, Catholic 0
The Royals scored an early run to take a 1-0 lead in the first before adding two more insurance runs in the seventh as they salvaged a split with 3-0 victory.
Justina Benvenuto was solid for Catholic, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing just two hits and a run, but the senior took her third loss of the season in the decision. Soleil Dooner pitched the final 3.2 innings, allowing just two hits and no runs to earn her third win of the season for Scranton.
Alyssa Mosconi drove in all three runs for the Royals, giving Scranton the lead in the first with an RBI single to right before adding two more runs with a bases-loaded double down the right field line in the seventh off of
Olivia Stinchcomb.
Fike and
Elise Faxon had two hits each for Catholic, but the Cardinals were shut out in game two for the second consecutive day.
Alex Garza drew two walks for the Cardinals as well. With four hits on the day, Fike now has 15 multi-hit games and has raised her average to .450 to lead the Cardinals. Her 45 hits leave her just four shy of reaching the program's single-season top 10.
Catholic will travel to Rutgers-Camden on Thursday for a non-conference doubleheader.
