Brandywine, Schuylkill Split PSUAC-Opening Doubleheader

ASTON, Pa. -- Penn State Schuylkill defeated Penn State Brandywine 9-6 in game one for its first-ever victory over Brandywine, but the Lions answered by claiming game two by a 9-4 count to salvage a split of the teams' Penn State University Athletic Conferene softball opener on Monday afternoon.

Brandywine led the opener 5-1 through two innings, but Schuylkill rallied to tie the score on back-to-back run-scoring singles in the fifth before taking the lead for good with four more runs one frame later.

The Lions got within 9-6 when Alexa Anderson (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) singled in Arianna Segich (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) in the sixth inning and Brandywine threatened for more, but Hannah Sell set down the final two batters of the frame and retired Brandywine in order in the seventh to give Schuylkill the game one win.

Brandywine looked like it was going to run away with game one after Segich led off the first inning with a walk, stole second and scored on Rachel Cherubini's (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) RBI single, starting a three-run  inning. Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) added a run-scoring base hit before Julie Foeldes (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) tacked on an RBI double.

Anderson and Steffen both collected run-scoring hits in the second to up the Lions' lead to 5-1 before Schuylkill mounted its rally.

The top four hitters in the order accounted for 10 of Brandywine's 12 hits as Anderson and Cherubini each went 3-for-4 and Segich and Steffen both tallied a pair of knocks.

Brandywine trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the third inning in game two, but quickly struck for five runs on a pair of home runs to jump into the lead. Ashley Dotey (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) doubled to lead off, and three batters later, Segich lifted a two-run home run with two outs, tying the score. After a Cherubini single and an Schuylkill error extended the inning, Steffen sent her second home run of the season over the wall to send the Lions in front.

Cherubini added two more runs for Brandywine in the fourth, doubling in Dotey and Haley Grossi (Monmouth, N.J./South Brunswick), while Maddie Malfara (Ardsley, Pa./Abington) drove in Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) with a single in the sixth to make the score 8-4.

Cherubini recorded three more hits in game two, giving her a 6-for-8 performance at the plate overall, while Steffen tallied two hits, three RBI and scored two runs. Dotey also registered two hits and crossed home twice.

Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) earned the win in game two as she struck out four and allowed four runs in seven innings after suffering the loss in the circle in game one.
Brandywine (5-5, 1-1 PSUAC) is back at Maple Zone Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against Wesley at 3:00 pm.