Carlow Tops Brandywine In USCAA Quarterfinals

AKRON, Ohio – Second-seeded Carlow scored nine runs during the first three innings and defeated No. 10 Penn State Brandywine 11-3 in six innings to advance to the winner's bracket semifinal round at the USCAA Softball World Series on Monday evening at Firestone Stadium.

Despite the loss, Brandywine (23-17) remains alive in the double elimination tournament. The Lions will face a familiar foe in Penn State Beaver, who they blanked 8-0 one week ago in the PSUAC Tournament title game, at 10:00 am Tuesday morning during the teams' fourth meeting of the season. Brandywine outscored Beaver 20-3 in three victories this spring.

Carlow led 7-0 before Brandywine got on the scoreboard with a pair of third-inning runs. Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) doubled and scored on Katie DeStefano's (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) sacrifice fly and two batters later, Arianna Segich (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) crossed home following a Celtic error.

However, Carlow pulled away after adding three more runs to its lead during the bottom of the frame.

Steffen, whose second double of the game in the fourth inning drove in Maddie Malfara (Ardsley, Pa./Abington) with Brandywine's final run, went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Lions.

Olivia Encarnacion (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) allowed 10 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings and suffered her sixth loss of the season. 

Earlier in the day, No. 10 Penn State Brandywine jumped out to a five-run lead and held off No. 7 Penn College for a 5-3 victory Monday morning during the opening game of the USCAA Softball World Series at Firestone Stadium.

Brandywine collected 12 hits during the game as eight different players recorded at least one knock. Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) went 3-for-3 at the plate, while Arianna Segich (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) and Julia Allman (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) both recorded two hits.

Segich legged out an infield single, stole second and eventually scored on a wild pitch to give the Lions a 1-0 lead after one inning.

Brandywine loaded the bases with two outs in the second and Allman delivered a two-run single to right, scoring Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and Julie Foeldes (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) to extend the lead to three.

Foeldes drove an RBI double down the left field line and came around to score on Steffen's base hit as Brandywine added two more scores in the fourth.

Penn College got two runs back during the bottom of the frame following Taylor Brooks' two-run double and then cut the deficit to two one inning later; however Grace DeRosa (Glenside, Pa./Cheltenham) retired six of the seven batters she faced over the final two innings to hold off the Wildcats.

DeRosa improved to 9-6 after limiting Penn College to three runs (two earned) on just two hits, while striking out five.

Brandywine, which equaled last year's win total at 23 and won its second game at the USCAA World Series in the last two years, advanced to face second-seeded Carlow University on Monday night at 6:00 pm.