Brandywine Takes Series Opener From Hazleton

ASTON, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine opened its three-game PSUAC baseball series with Penn State Hazleton by a claiming a 9-4 victory on Wednesday night at Maple Zone.

Tyler Michaels (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) fired eight innings to land his third victory of the season, while Jack Hedger (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) drove in three runs and Joe Hurley (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and Nick Kutufaris (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) both knocked in two. Hedger went 3-for-4 at the plate and Hurley added two hits and scored twice.

Michaels yielded fours runs, but only one was earned, and struck out six to earn his second win in three starts against PSUAC competition. Michaels' saw his streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run come to a close in the eighth at 29-straight frames.

Brandywine trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but exploded for six runs to take the lead for good. A walk and an error put a pair of runners in scoring position for Hurley, who recorded a RBI single that plated Joey Buoni (Chester Heights, Pa./Salesianum). Brian Reynolds (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) stole home as part of a double steal, while Hedger and Kutufaris both pushed across runs with base hits. Ben Mutz's (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven) sacrifice fly provided the final score of the inning.

Hedger added two more RBI in the fifth when his third hit of the game scored Hurley and Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley). Hurley's sixth-inning sacrifice fly delivered the final run for Brandywine.

Brandywine (11-11, 3-4 PSUAC) visits Hazleton on Sunday for the final two games of the series beginning at noon.