Brandywine Splits First Day Of PSUAC Tournament

MEDIA, Pa. -- Top-seeded Penn State Brandywine dropped a heart-breaking 11-10, eight-inning game to No. 4 Penn State DuBois, but rebounded to win game two by an 8-1 count over No. 5 Penn State Beaver during the opening day of the Penn State University Athletic Conference Softball Tournament Friday afternoon.

Game One: Penn State DuBois 11, Penn State Brandywine 10

Brandywine nearly rallied from five runs down to win in the seventh inning before settling for a tied score at 9-9 in game one.

DuBois led 8-4 entering the seventh and added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly during the top of the inning, but Brandywine mounted a furious rally. Back-to-back singles to start the inning from Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) and Farrell Everett (Wynnewood, Pa./Haverford) put two runners on base for Destiny Brophy (Bristol, Pa./Bristol) who doubled down the right field line, scoring Rees. Two batters after Gianna Terpolilli's (Hammonton, N.J./Our Lady of Mercy) groundout scored a run, Jess James' (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) base hit plated Brophy, making the count 9-7. A single from Lianna DeDios (Elmwood Park, N.J./Memorial) extended the inning for Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City), who sent a two-run double to left, knotting the score at 9-9. Brandywine later loaded the bases, but a strikeout prevented further damage.

Kelsey Stuart's one-out, two-run single put DuBois on top 11-9 in the eighth inning. Brandywine again rallied as James scored Becky Valente (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) with a two-out base hit; however, a groundout put an end to the Lions' comeback bid.

Brandywine owned a 3-0 lead through three innings as Kassidy Hoffman (Fallsington, Pa./Pennsbury) scored on a wild pitch in the second and Ferry and Payton Landis (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) drove in runs with singles in the third.

DuBois put eight runs on the board in the fourth inning, all of which came with two outs. The visitors recorded six hits and a walk after the second out of the inning was made.

Taylor D'Attilio (Hammonton, N.J./Cedar Creek) brought Brandywine within 8-4 in the sixth with a two-out base hit that plated Terpolilli.

Landis went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Ferry posted two hits and drove in three runs. James added two hits and two runs scored, while Valente also crossed home twice.

Sarah Moore (New Holland, Pa./Pequea Valley) took the loss after pitching the eighth inning for Brandywine. She struck out one and yielded one earned run. Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) limited DuBois to one run in three innings of relief.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 8, Penn State Beaver 1

Beaver scored a first-inning run off of Moore, but Moore allowed nothing more the rest of the way as Brandywine staved off elimination in game two.

Moore scattered eight hits and went the distance to earn her third win.

Ferry added two more hits and reached base safely in all four at-bats after walking twice, while Brophy was 2-for-3 with two RBI at the plate.

Ferry doubled and scored on an error to even the score at 1-1 in the first inning. Brandywine took the lead for good one frame later when another Beaver miscue allowed Rees to cross home.

Brandywine tacked on four more runs in the third as James scored on a groundout, DeDios came around to score via wild pitch, and Brophy delivered a two-run single through the middle.

Landis provided a run-scoring triple and then came around to score on Rees' groundout in the fifth to account for the Lions' final two runs.

Brandywine (28-11), which set a new single-season wins record with its victory in game two, will face Penn State DuBois again Saturday at 12:00 PM at Swarthmore College's Clothier Field. Brandywine needs to defeat DuBois twice to keep its hopes of a seventh-straight conference title alive.