HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata softball team completed a dominant sweep of Penn State DuBois on Tuesday afternoon, winning the first game 11-0 before taking game two 11-3, both ending in five innings.
Starter Cate Baran (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) controlled the game from the circle, dealing a complete-game shutout while allowing only five hits and striking out six batters. The offense racked up 13 hits in the game, breaking the game wide open with five runs in the bottom of the first. Baran led off the inning with a single before stealing second base, the first of her three stolen bases on the day. Her 17 stolen bases on the season leads the Landmark Conference. After the next batter reached first on an error, Baran advanced to third and senior Maya McLeod (San Diego, Calif. / La Jolla Country Day) came to the plate and ripped a two-RBI double to center field. Fellow senior Catherine Miller (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) then stepped in the box and launched a home run over the fence in right center field, making the score 4-0 before a single out had even been made. A fifth run would score after a sacrifice fly from Ruthie Betts (Hawk Run, Pa. / West Branch Area), making it 5-0 after one inning.
The offensive onslaught would continue in the following innings, with the Eagles adding two more runs in the second followed by another four runs in the third to total their 11-run advantage. McLeod was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate, hitting two doubles in the game while also scoring three runs and tallying three RBIs. Freshman Jessie Hunt (Bath, Pa. / Northampton Area) was also a perfect 3 for 3 with three RBIs, while also scoring one run of her own. The 11 RBIs by the team is their highest single-game mark since March 11th, 2019, when the team totaled 16 RBIs in a game.
Game two saw DuBois put up slightly more resistance, with their pitching keeping the Eagles off the board in the first inning. The bottom of the second saw the Eagles score a run on a Betts RBI double, but the Lions would respond with three runs in the top of the third to take their first lead of the day. It would be a short-lived advantage, as Juniata then began an offensive barrage in the bottom of the third inning. They scored nine runs in the frame, bolstered by hits from Reagan Goldsmith (Middletown, Del. / Middletown), Caleigh Love (Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury), Alison Superka (Orefield, Pa. / Parkland), Alex Douglass (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East), Baran, and Love again, along with four fielding errors from DuBois. Miller would earn the win in the circle, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while striking out five batters.
The wins move the Eagles to 8-14 overall on the season, as they look forward to another home doubleheader on Friday, hosting Wilson College at 3:00 PM.
