Brandywine Tops F&M In Slugfest; Splits With Diplomats

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania – After seeing its 11-game winning streak come to an end following a 3-0 loss in game one, the Penn State Brandywine softball team bounced back to claim a wild 11-7 victory over Franklin & Marshall in game two on Thursday afternoon.

Brandywine recorded 15 hits for the third time this spring during the nightcap, including three-hit performances from Lindsey Dellavecchio (Ridley Park, Pa./Interboro), Cheyenne Murphy (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) and Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East). Steffen also drove in four runs, while Dellavecchio scored three times and knocked in a pair and Lauryn Geduldick (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) added three RBI.

Dellavecchio led off the game with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Robyn Gannon (Lansdowne, Pa./Archibishop Prendergast) reached on an error. After a Steffen's first of three doubles put two runners in scoring position, Geduldick drove in Gannon with a sacrifice fly to double the Lions' lead.

F&M (17-9) answered with five runs during its first two at-bats, but Brandywine scored twice in the third and pushed four more runs across in the fourth to retake the lead. Steffen drove in a run with a double and Geduldick was safe a first following an error that allowed Gannon to score, bringing the Lions within one.

Four-straight singles to start the fourth, the last of which came off the bat of Dellavecchio to drive in a run, tied the game. Gannon added an RBI base hit and Steffen followed with a double that forced two more runs across.

The Diplomats got two runs back in the fourth, pulling within one, but would get no closer. Dellavecchio delivered another bases-loaded single in the fifth and Steffen walked with the bases full to force in the Lions' 10th run.

Gannon recorded two RBI and scored twice, while Murphy, Julia Allman (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) and Julie Foeldes (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) all scored two runs.

Danielle Spina (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) pitched all seven innings to earn her seventh win. She struck out one and surrendered seven runs (three earned) on 12 hits.

F&M scored all three of its runs in the opener during the second inning. Patricia Crigler doubled with one out and scored on Kathleen Zogorski's single. Four batters later, Melissa Bollmeyer delivered a bases-loaded single that plated two more runs.

Brandywine put the leadoff batter on base during the third and sixth innings, but was unable to muster any runs. Diplomats' starter Isabel Schaefer limited Brandywine to just one hit, a single from Allman in the third.

Schaefer moved to 8-7 this spring, while Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) suffered her first loss since March 11 for the Lions. DeStefano yielded three earned runs on five hits, while striking out two and saw her record drop to 5-4 this spring.

Brandywine (13-6) returns to conference play Saturday with a home doubleheader against Penn State Greater Allegheny beginning at 2:00 pm.