Brandywine Drops Weekend Finale To Marywood

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine dropped both games of a non-conference baseball doubleheader to Marywood University Sunday afternoon. The Lions fell in game one, 9-4, and nearly completed a 10-run rally before dropping the nightcap, 11-9.

Game One: Marywood 9, Penn State Brandywine 4

The Pacers plated a first-inning run, but Brandywine struck for two during the bottom of the frame. Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) led off with a double and scored on groundout, while Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) singled in Hayden Altimari (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony).

Marywood went back on top with a four-run third inning before the Lions cut into the deficit with a two-run fourth. Jack Hedger (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) started the frame with a long, leadoff home run over the left field fence. Three batters later, Toby Skeans (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) singled, then stole second and came around to score on a Marywood error.

The Pacers immediately answered with two runs of their own in the fifth and added single runs during each of the next two innings to account for the final score.

Mike DeGirolamo (Fredrick, Md./Fredrick) was 3-for-3 at the plate, while Hedger tallied two hits to pace the offense. Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) struck out five batters in 3.0 innings, but took the loss. Matt Brucato (Jamesburg, N.J./Monroe Township) and Ty Coccia (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) both recorded two strikeouts in two relief innings.

Game Two: Marywood 11, Penn State Brandywine 9

Marywood owned an 11-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning, but Brandywine sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring eight runs, to get back in the game.

The Lions took advantage of five walks and a hit batter by three Marywood pitchers and needed just four hits to score their eight runs.

Lamar Thomas (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Performing Arts) got the scoring started with a run-scoring single and pinch-hitter Shaun Lima (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) followed with another RBI base hit.

After Solomon Bayuk (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) was hit by a pitch to force in a third run, Shawn Webb (Drexel Hill, Pa./Bonner-Prendie) worked a bases-loaded walk to make the score 11-5. Two more runs came cross home via a Marywood throwing error and a seventh on a groundout.

Nasir Jackson (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy) capped the inning with by driving in Evan Shade (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) with a triple that made the count 11-9.

Tyler Quick, Marywood's third pitcher of the frame, avoided further trouble with runners on the corners when got a groundout to end the inning. Quick also worked around a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth and pitched a one-two-three seventh to earn the save for the Pacers.

Lima recorded two of Brandywine's nine hits, while Webb drove in two runs.

Ben Norris (Wilmington, Del./Mt. Pleasant) pitched the final 3.0 innings, yielding just one run, while striking out one. Michael Aronica earned the win for Marywood, while Greg Adams (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) took the loss for Brandywine.

Brandywine (1-2) is back at home next Sunday to face Penn State Mont Alto beginning at 1:00 PM.