WASHINGTON - Gallaudet University was swept in its season opener doubleheader against The Catholic University of America here at the GU Softball Complex on a blustery, cold, wet and raw Saturday afternoon before rain drenched family and friends. The visiting Cardinals won the first game 9-0 and took the second game 10-2 in five innings.

Game 1: Catholic 9, Gallaudet 0
Catholic's first batter of the game set the tone for the day when Makayla Czan hit a shot to center field. The ball got past GU's outfielder and rolled to the fence while Czan zipped out the bases for an inside-the-park home run. The Cardinals went on to score twice in the third, four times in the sixth and capped things off with two runs in the seventh.

The Bison offense was held to four hits as junior Jacklyn Zacarias (Montebello, Calif.) went 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, stole base and walk. Freshman Hannah Carter (Dayton, Ohio) collected GU's two other hits in the loss.

Czan went 4-for-5 in the lead-off spot as three different Cardinals drove in two runs.

Senior pitcher Alyssa Barlow (Chandler, Ariz.) took the loss as she pitched a complete game. She allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 14 hits, walked two and struck out three.

Cardinal starting pitcher Kelly Lynch (1-0) earned the win in the circle as she threw five scoreless innings where she walked one and struckout seven.

Game 2: Catholic 10, Gallaudet 2
Gallaudet struck first in the second game when the Bison pushed across two runs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore outfielder Briana Pogue (Papillion, Neb.), who reached on a lead-off bunt, scored on a wild pitch from third base. Sophomore catcher Jenny Mendis (Brook Park, Ohio), who walked, scored on a ground out by Zacarias.

Catholic responded with four runs in the top of the second off of Zacarias, GU's starter in the circle for game two.

The Cardinals led 4-2 heading to the fourth when the visitors scored six times on four hits and one Bison error to put the game away.

Zacarias (0-1) took her first loss in the buff and blue as she allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on six hits, six walks and three strikeouts. Barlow pitched the final 1.1 innings in scoreless relief as she surrendered one hit and struck out two.

BISON TRACKS

• Three Bison recorded two hits on the day in Carter, Zacarias and senior Genesis Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas)
• Zacarias and Barlow both doubled on Saturday
• Zacarias had GU's lone RBI

UP NEXT
Gallaudet takes to the road tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 25) to face Wesley College (1-1) in Dover, Del., at 11 a.m.