HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata softball lost both games of their afternoon doubleheader with Catholic on Saturday afternoon, each by a slim one-run margin. Game one finished 8-7 in Catholic's favor, before the Cardinals went on to take game two 4-3.
Catholic built their lead early in game one, scoring five runs in the first two innings. Starter Cate Baran (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) would end up taking the loss in the game, giving up five earned runs and 13 hits in her seven innings of work. Juniata found the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning, courtesy of a two-RBI single from sophomore Caleigh Love (Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury). Catholic answered back with runs in the fourth and sixth innings, making the score 7-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Juniata bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth to mount a comeback, with five runs scoring in the inning. Alison Superka (Orefield, Pa. / Parkland) ripped an RBI double to right field to kick it off, before successive RBI singles from Ruthie Betts (Hawk Run, Pa. / West Branch Area) and Kassandra Roush (Indiana, Pa. / Marion Center Area) each brought home a run. A Catholic throwing error allowed two more runs to score, tying the game at 7-7 before the inning ended. The game then slipped through Juniata's clutches in the top of the seventh, with a runner reaching on an error, advancing to second and then third on successive groundouts, and coming home to score on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. Catholic would then hold on to their one-run lead in the bottom of the frame, with Juniata leaving two runners on base.
Game two saw the scoring slow for both teams, with each team having a single breakthrough inning. For Catholic, it came in the top of the third when they scored four runs on Juniata starter Catherine Miller (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) who finished the game allowing 11 hits while walking three and striking out two. Juniata responded in the bottom of the fourth with three runs, catalyzed by a leadoff home run from senior Maya McLeod (San Diego, Calif. / La Jolla Country Day), who continued her great season at the plate with a combined 5 for 7 hitting performance in the two games. With the score 4-3 in Catholic's favor, both teams went scoreless for the remainder of the game. Juniata had an opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, wit McLeod and Miller both hitting singles to get on base. But with only one out and runners on second and third, Superka made strong contact on a full-count pitch but hit it directly to the third baseman's glove, before Betts battled through a lengthy at-bat but was eventually put out on a slow-rolling grounder to first base.
The losses see the Eagles drop to 4-12 on the season, with an 0-4 record in the Landmark. They'll begin a busy week of games with a trip to St. Vincent for a doubleheader on Monday, April 4th, before returning home to host Mt. Aloysius for a doubleheader the following day. The games begin at 3:00 PM on both days.
