Murphy’s Walk Off Home Run Sends Brandywine To PSUAC Title Game

BOALSBURG, Pennsylvania – Cheyenne Murphy (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) delivered a three-run, walk off home run to cap a dramatic four-run rally and give top-seeded Penn State Brandywine an 8-7 victory over No. 3 Penn State Hazleton, sending the Lions to the title game of the PSUAC Softball Tournament, on Thursday afternoon.

Brandywine (21-10) will play for the PSUAC championship for the first time in school history on Friday at 12:00 pm at Beard Field in State College against an opponent still to be determined. A victory for Brandywine, in just its second season as a varsity team, would clinch a automatic bid to the USCAA Tournament.

Murphy's three-run shot, the first of her career, capped a four-run bottom of the seventh inning for the Lions, who entered the frame trailing 7-4.

Robyn Gannon (Lansdowne, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) opened the seventh with a base hit and moved to third following Katy Steffen's (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) double. Two batters later, Danielle Spina (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) doubled in Gannon to bring Brandywine one run closer before Murphy lifted Brandywine to victory.

Hazleton had taken a 7-4 lead after scoring five times with two outs during the top of the inning. Just two runs were scored during the first five frames, both for Hazleton, before the Lions began their first rally of the afternoon in the sixth.

Lauryn Geduldick (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) singled in Gannon and Murphy knotted the score at 2-2 with an RBI single. Alexa Iacono (Wilmington, Del./Concord) delivered a two-out base hit that scored Spina with the go-ahead run, while Lindsey Dellavecchio (Ridley Park, Pa./Interboro) added an insurance tally with a base hit.

Hazelton registered four-straight, two-out hits to regain the lead, but couldn't hold on, falling to Brandywine for the third time this season.

Murphy went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI, while Gannon added three hits and scored twice. Iacono added two hits and Spina crossed home twice.

Spina also earned the win in relief, her 11^th of the spring. She fanned four in 4.1 innings of work.