WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Juniata softball team dropped both games against Catholic University of America, 2-1 (nine innings) and 7-3, Saturday afternoon.
In game one in the second inning, Morgan Brumbaugh reached on an error, Abby John came in to pinch run, and Emily Eutsey bunted her over. Skyler Howlett hammered a double down the right field line to plate John.
The Cardinals scored in the bottom half of the inning to tie things at 1-1.
Rylea Lynch took over in the third and pitched 6.2 innings. She scattered eight hits while allowing one run, with one walk and a strikeout.
The teams were deadlocked through the ninth until the Cardinals drew a walk with the bases loaded to score the winning run.
Both teams had opportunities to score earlier, with Juniata leaving eight runners on base while Catholic left five.
The Eagles jumped on the Cardinals in game two as Jessie Hunt lined a two-run double down the left field line, and Brumbaugh drove her in with a double down the left field line. Catholic got two back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI-single to center and a sacrifice fly to right.
The Cardinals plated a run in the third to tie and three more in the fourth to take the lead at 6-3.
They closed the scoring with an insurance run in the sixth.
Juniata's bats went cold after the first, as four of their seven hits occurred in the first inning.
The Eagles will travel to take on Penn State Altoona on Tuesday starting at 3:00.
