Ulmer Fires Two-Hit Gem; Brandywine Walks Off With Sweep

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Penn State Brandywine baseball team concluded its trip to Florida on a high note Thursday morning as Bradley Ulmer (Newark, Del./St. George's Tech) threw a two-hit masterpiece in game one and Anthony Polanco's (Long Island, N.Y./West Babylon) walk-off single in the eighth inning of game two handed the Lions a sweep of Emerson College. The Lions won the opener 5-1 and took the nightcap 6-5.

Ulmer brought a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but a leadoff single through the middle broke up his bid for the no-no. In 7.0 innings of work, Ulmer surrendered only a pair of seventh-inning singles, while limiting Emerson to just one unearned run during the first inning. He struck out four and issued only one walk, throwing 44 of his 69 total pitches for strikes, as he picked up his second victory of the spring.

After falling behind 1-0, Brandywine struck for single runs in the second and third innings before tallying three insurance runs in the seventh frame.

Brett Sheeran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) scored on a balk to even the score and Joey Buoni (Chester Heights, Pa./Salesianum) pushed the second Lion run across when he was issued a bases-loaded walk.

Brandywine took advantage of three Emerson errors during the seventh, scoring three times. Brian Reynolds (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) capped the scoring with an RBI single, his second knock of the game.

The Lions overcame a three-run deficit to win game two, rallying from down 5-2 entering the bottom of the fifth inning.

Reynolds and Sheeran tallied back-to-back singles to start the fifth inning and both came around to score on Polanco's two-run base hit.

One inning later, the Lions knotted the score at 5-5 as Matt Masi (West Chester, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) doubled to lead off the frame and crossed home on Reynolds' single to center field, sending the game to extra innings.

After Kevin Sessa (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) worked out of a two-on, no-out jam in the top of the eighth inning, Brandywine loaded the bases with one out for Polanco in the bottom of the frame and Polanco delivered a base hit through the right side, scoring Masi with the winning run.

Polanco went 2-for-3 at the plate and reached base four times overall with three RBI, while Masi and Reynolds also tallied two hits each and Sheeran collected three hits in five at-bats.

Sessa earned the win in relief after firing three scoreless frames and striking out one. Chris Edwards (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) was on the mound for the first five innings, yielding five runs (three earned), while fanning four.

Brandywine (4-8) returns to Pennsylvania for a Tuesday game at Wilkes University beginning at 3:30 pm.