Baseball and Softball Swing for the Fences on Opening Weekend
Image courtesy of Susie Blanchard and Catholic Athletics.
By Griffin Cappiello
The Catholic University baseball and softball teams began their 2026 seasons this past weekend.
Baseball opened their season (and the newly renovated Robert J. Talbot Field) this past weekend, hosting the Matt Kurkjian ALS Awareness Invitational. Picked to finish second in the Landmark Conference in the preseason coaches poll, the Cardinals started their season off with a bang, defeating #10 Salve Regina 9-7 last Friday afternoon. Salve Regina scored two runs in the opening inning, but the Cards responded quickly. Junior Logan Eilbacher hit a 2 RBI double, and junior Gabriel Ruiz grounded out to shortstop, but scored Lo. Eilbacher to give the Cards a 3-2 lead. Senior Chris Esquivel hit an RBI single in the second inning. Junior Lance Eilbacher hit a 2-run homer in the fourth, scoring grad student Matthew Fisher to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 6-2. Salve Regina added two runs of their own, but the Cards put up a solid performance in the eighth inning, with a homer by senior Sammy Burman, an RBI bunt by junior Jack Bateman, and an RBI single by La. Eilbacher. Senior Roman Tozzi pitched five innings, with four strikeouts and only allowing two hits, and sophomore Jack Scholtz earned the save.
In the second game of the day, Catholic fell 4-3 to Dickinson. La. Eilbacher continued his great day at the plate with a single in the second inning, then stole second and third on consecutive batters, and came home to score off a throw that got away from the Dickinson catcher. The middle innings were quiet for both teams, but the Red Devils put together a 3-run sixth inning to take the lead. In the seventh, La. Eilbacher hit a triple to get into scoring position, and Ficher had a base hit to bring him home to score. Down by a run in the bottom of the ninth, the Cards had the tying run in scoring position when junior Gabriel Ruiz came in to pinch hit. He had a base hit to right field to score senior Jack Elwell and send the game to extra innings. Dickinson scored in the top of the tenth, and the Cards had the tying run in scoring position, but weren’t able to bring him home.
On Saturday afternoon, Catholic put together a 3-2 win over Stevens. The Ducks opened the scoring with a run in the second, but Ruiz got a base hit to right field in the fourth, and after several walks loaded the bases, he came home to score the Cards’ first run after Esquivel was also walked. Burman and Lo. Eilbacher singled in the seventh, and a wild pitch and a Fisher sacrifice fly to left field brought them each home and gave Catholic the lead. Junior Luke Cardman’s performance out of the bullpen earned him the Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Week title. He only allowed two hits in 4.1 innings and recorded a career-high 8 strikeouts. La. Eilbacher was named the Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week after going 6 for 13 (.462) with a homer, a triple, 3 RBI, four runs scored, and four stolen bases on the weekend.
Image courtesy of Leyton Ramos-Platt and Catholic Athletics.
Softball opened their season (and their newly renovated softball field) on Saturday with a doubleheader against Ursinus. Picked to finish second in the Landmark Conference in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Cards swept the Bears, winning the first game 3-0 and the second 6-4. Senior Kerri Hatcliffe opened the scoring in the second inning with an RBI double. In the fifth inning, junior Katie McHugh got on base, and freshman Hayden Hudson singled to advance her. Senior Elise Faxon hit a single to score McHugh, and sophomore Lisa Payne came in to pinch run. Hatcliffe’s second hit of the day drove her in to score, extending the Catholic lead to 3. Senior Aubrynn Arcement pitched five innings, only giving up three hits and recording two strikeouts, and grad student Morrigan Gardiner pitched two innings, striking out five of the six batters she faced.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cards took an early lead. Senior Sam Grillo and sophomore Geneva Webber each got on base and advanced to scoring position. A wild pitch brought Grillo home, and a single by Faxon scored Webber. Senior Olivia Stinchcomb hit a 2-run homer to extend the Catholic lead to 4-0. The Bears scored twice in the third, but the Cardinals responded in the fifth. Hitcliffe picked up a single, and Stinchcomb hit another 2-run homer to bring the game to 6-2. The Bears added two runs in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. Sophomore Sophia Colangelo pitched five innings, allowing two hits and recording seven strikeouts.
