Katie DeStefano
Katie DeStefano

Brandywine Bests Beaver; Returns To PSUAC Softball Championship

DUBOIS, Pa. – Three-time defending champion Penn State Brandywine will make its fourth consecutive appearance in the Penn State University Athletic Conference Softball Tournament championship game following the team's 5-1 victory over Penn State Beaver on Sunday afternoon.

The victory, Brandywine's second of the day after knocking off Penn State Fayette 10-0 Sunday morning, puts Brandywine one victory away from being the campus' first-ever team to win four consecutive league crowns.

After playing Sunday's games in DuBois, the tournament will now shift to State College with Monday's games being played at Beard Field. Brandywine's title game is slated to begin at 5:00 pm against either Beaver or Schuylkill, who will meet earlier in the afternoon in an elimination game.

Senior pitcher Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) got it done at the plate and in the circle against Beaver. Pitching her second game of the day, she was one out away from consecutive shutouts before settling for one earned run on seven hits, while striking out three to up her record to 19-5 this spring. She also went 3-for-3 at the plate, knocking in a pair of runs.

All nine hitters in the lineup recorded at least one hit as the Lions produced 12 knocks overall. Arianna Segich (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) posted her second multi-hit game of the day, collecting a pair of knocks.

Haley Grossi (Monmouth Junction, N.J./South Brunswick) started a two-out rally in the second by doubling to left field. She came around to score on DeStefano's base hit, giving Brandywine an early 1-0 edge.

The Lions tacked on four more runs in the fifth inning. Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) drove a two-run double, plating Rachel Cherubini (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) and Alexa Anderson (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford). Two batters later, Steffen came around to score on a base hit from Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City), while DeStefano added her second RBI single of the game to cap the scoring.

Beaver's offense threatened for the first time in the game during the seventh inning, scoring once and loading the bases with two outs; however, DeStefano got Dina Cable to pop up to Velez to end the game.