WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 25, 2017) – The Drew University softball team opened Landmark Conference play on Saturday with a pair of losses to The Catholic University of America in a doubleheader in the Nation's Capital.
 
By the Numbers: The Cardinals won the games 9-1 and 10-3 to improve to 10-6 overall in their first two Landmark games of the season. The Rangers begin league play 0-2 and fall to 3-9 overall. The games marked Drew's first outside of Florida this season.
 
Top Performers
• Sophomore outfielder Katie Grodski led the Drew offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, one run and one RBI. She knocked in the Rangers' lone run in Game 1 and batted 2-for-3 with a run in Game 2.
• Senior center fielder Phylicia Pellot and sophomore pitcher Bethany Budner added hits in Game 2, with Budner's knocking in Drew's third run of the game to cut the Catholic lead to 4-3 in the sixth inning.
 
Game 1 Highlights
• Grodski started the scoring on Saturday with an RBI double to right field in the top of the second inning to tie the game at 1-1. The two-bagger plated junior third baseman Lauren Mastropierro, who singled to lead off the frame.
• Catholic took control in the bottom of the second with five unearned runs off Drew senior starter Emma Agostini. The Rangers committed three errors in the inning.
 
Game 2 Highlights
• Catholic jumped ahead early for the second game in a row with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. In the second, senior shortstop Meghan McGuire notched an RBI on a fielder's choice to score one run, and the Rangers tied the game, 2-2, on the play after an error.
• The Cardinals quickly claimed the lead back in the bottom half of the frame with a pair of runs to take a 4-2 advantage, which held until Budner's RBI singles in the sixth to make it 4-3.
• Catholic tacked on six runs on six hits and two more Drew errors in the bottom of the sixth to set the final score at 10-3.
 
Up Next: The Rangers hit the road for a non-conference doubleheader at Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday, March 28 at 3:00 p.m. The games were rescheduled from Tuesday, March 21 due to Rutgers-Newark's field conditions.