Brandywine Claims PSUAC Softball Title; Headed To USCAA Tournament

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania -- For the first time in program history, the Penn State Brandywine softball team is on top of the PSUAC as the Lions claimed the conference championship following an 11-8 triumph over Penn State Hazleton on Friday afternoon, in the process earning the league's automatic bid to the USCAA Tournament.

The USCAA announced seeding and pairings Friday evening, selecting Brandywine as the No. 3 seed. The Lions will take on No. 6 New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI) on Monday, May 11 at 2:00 pm in its first game at the USCAA Tournament.

Top-seeded Brandywine (22-10), competing in just its second season as a varsity program, completed a perfect conference slate after winning all 14 regular season games and sweeping three games at this week's PSUAC Tournament.

The Lions defeated second-seeded Hazleton twice during the tournament, using its offensive firepower to overcome large deficits in each game.

One day after hitting a walk-off, three-run home run, Cheyenne Murphy (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) collected two hits and drove in three runs, while Julia Allman (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) and Robyn Gannon (Lansdowne, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) both went 3-for-4 at the plate. Allman scored three times, Gannon crossed home twice, and Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) knocked in four runs.

Danielle Spina (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) earned her 12th victory of the season after tossing a complete game in the circle, and helped her own cause by scoring twice and knocking in two.

Hazleton scored five runs on five hits during the top of the first inning, but Brandywine answered quickly with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Allman and Gannon recorded back-to-back, one-out singles to get the rally started. After an error allowed the Lions' first run to score, Spina doubled in Gannon and Lauryn Geduldick (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat), while Murphy followed with an RBI single.

Gannon tied the game at 5-5 in the second with a run-scoring double and came around to score, along with Allman, on Steffen's two-base hit. Murphy added a two-out, two-run double to up the Lions' lead to 9-5 after two innings.

A two-run single in the third from Steffen upped Brandywine's edge to six, Hazleton plated single runs in three consecutive innings to pull within three.

However, Spina did not allow Hazleton to get closer. Hazleton put a runner on in the seventh with one out, but Kayla Karchner grounded out to Spina and Geduldick threw out Sara Stauffer for the final out, securing its first league crown.

The USCAA Tournament runs from May 11-14 at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. St. Mary of the Woods (Ind.) has earned the top seed.