Brandywine Picks Up First Softball Victory

MEDIA, Pennsylvania -- Julie Foeldes (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) delivered the game-winning, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Penn State Brandywine softball team to its first victory of the season, a 2-1 triumph over the College of St. Joseph (Vt.) on Wednesday afternoon. The Fighting Saints got even by claiming an 8-6 victory in game two.

Foeldes came up to the plate with runners on first and third and sent a lined single into left field for her second hit of the game, plating Maddie Malfara (Ardsley, Pa./Abington), who had singled to lead off the frame.

Malfara went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles during game one, while Arianna Segich (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) and Jen Patterson (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) also produced multi-hit performances.

Grace DeRosa (Glenside, Pa./Cheltenham) tossed a complete game, allowing just one earned run and scattering seven hits to earn her first collegiate victory. She struck out two in seven innings of work.

Brandywine got on the board first when Foeldes and Ashlee Stritzinger (Wilmington, Del./Concord) strung together back-to-back singles and Patterson drove home Stritzinger two batters later with a base hit in the fourth.

Krysta Kondewich's two-out, RBI single in the sixth knotted the score at 1-1 before Brandywine claimed victory one inning later.

The Fighting Saints struck first in the nightcap, scoring a pair of runs during their first at-bat, but Brandywine answered with four scores in the bottom of the frame.

The first five Lions to bat all reached base via bases on balls and Stritzinger delivered the big blow with a two-run single.

However, CSJ answered with five unearned runs in the second, all coming with two outs as six consecutive batters reached base, including a three-run double from Kondewich.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth when Brandywine crept closer, scoring a pair of runs on Julia Allman's (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) two-out base hit, making the score 7-6.

After CSJ added an insurance run in the seventh, Brandywine threatened with two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, but Saints' pitcher Megan Miller retired the final two batters she faced to preserve the win.

Malfara added three more hits in game two for a 6-for-7 day at the plate and reached base during all four plate appearances. Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) took the loss in the circle as she fanned two, but allowed eight runs, only two of which were earned, in seven innings.

Brandywine (1-11) is right back in action Thursday afternoon with a non-conference doubleheader against Cairn at Maple Zone in Aston.