Season on the brink as Brandywine edges Beaver

Bert DeSalvo, staff writer

Friday, April 29, 2011

State College, PA - The day after Penn State Beaver clinched the #3 seed in the PSUAC Championships, it lost a heartbreaker, 2-1, to #2 seed Penn State Brandywine (Media, PA). With the loss, Beaver (11-17-1, 11-7-1) must win out to extend their season.

Freshman Zack Davis (Hampton High School/Allison Park, PA) set the tone early for Beaver as he kept the Brandywine batters off balance and off the scoreboard. 

Beaver held an early 1-0 lead when it scored in the third inning. With one out, Garrett Covalt (Hopewell High School/Aliquippa, PA) hit a double and scored when Zack DelTurco (Monaca High School/Monaca, PA) followed with an RBI single. Although Adam Falkowski (Blackhawk High School/Beaver Falls, PA) followed DelTurco with a single, Beaver stranded both when they couldn't manufacture more runs in the inning. 

Although Beaver only managed one hit in the next four innings, sending the minimum 12 batters to the plate, they still clung to a 1-0 lead. However, in the bottom of the seventh, Brandywine mounted a comeback. As Davis tired, he walked the leadoff batter and was sacrificed to second. Brandywine hit a double to tie the game at one and with one out, Tommy White (Ridley High School/Ridley, PA) hit a walk-off RBI single to propel Brandywine to the 2-1 victory.

In the loss, Davis threw 6.1 innings, allowed just five hits, struck out eight, and allowed two earned runs. Offensively, Beaver was led by Covalt who had two of Beaver's four hits on the day, including a double and a run scored. 

Beaver will have a quick turnaround when it faces Penn College on Saturday, April 30 in the loser's bracket as it looks to extend its season.