Brandywine Ousted From USCAA World Series Contention

AKRON, Ohio – Cincinnati-Clermont broke a 3-3 tie by scoring twice during the bottom of the sixth inning and held off Penn State Brandywine for a 5-4 victory, ending the Lions' national title hopes at the USCAA Softball World Series Monday night.

Coupled with its 6-0 loss to NHTI earlier in the day, the Lions were ousted from the double-elimination tournament. Brandywine will play one final game Tuesday afternoon for ninth place against a PSUAC rival, either Penn State Hazleton or Penn State Schuylkill.

Brandywine strung together three-straight hits in the top of the first inning, the final off the bat of Danielle Spina (Garnet Valley, Pa./Thornton) which plated Lindsey Dellavecchio with the game's first run.

After Clermont took a 2-1 lead, Brandywine went back in front with a two-run third inning. Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) singled to lead off, moved to third on Julia Allman's (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) bunt single and scored on an error. Spina brought Allman home with a groundout for the go-ahead run.

UCC tied the game in the third and went ahead with a decisive two-run sixth frame. Brianna Stacy scored the go-ahead run, while Rachel Meyer tacked on an insurance tally with an RBI base hit.

Brandywine continued to battle during its final at-bat as Lauryn Geduldick (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) led off with a base hit and scored on Cheyenne Murphy's (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) double; However, Murphy, the potential game-tying run, was left stranded on third base when the final out was recorded.

Allman notched a pair of hits, while Spina drove in two, pacing the Lions' offense. DeStefano struck out six in 6.0 innings, but received the loss, while Madison Taber fanned six to pick up the win for UCC.