Brandywine Closes Season As PSUAC Baseball Runner Up

DUBOIS, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine reached the Penn State University Athletic Conference Tournament championship following a 4-2 victory over Penn State Wilkes Barre Monday morning; however, the Lions fell in the title round as Penn State DuBois claimed the conference's baseball crown with a 10-2 victory.

Brandywine, which has now finished as the league's runner up 13 times in the last 25 years, closes its second season under Head Coach Vinny Gallo with a record of 20-18, the team's first 20-win season since 2015.

DuBois scored three times in the first inning off Brandywine pitcher Tyler Michaels (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley), who started on the mound in both games for the Lions on Monday.

The host of the conference tournament, DuBois went on to display its power, hitting four home runs over the next five innings to put the game out of reach.

Brandywine loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth innings, putting together rallies, but it was not enough. Brian Reynolds (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) recorded a run-scoring single in the fourth, while PSUAC Player of the Year Matt Masi (West Chester, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) knocked in a run with a base hit in the fifth.

Masi, who upped his hit total to 41 this spring, and Chris Skahill (Media, Pa./Penncrest) both tallied a pair of knocks to pace the Lions offensively.

Earlier Monday, Brandywine received a complete-game performance from Michaels and rallied to eliminate Wilkes Barre from the tournament, scoring the final four runs to win 4-2.

Wilkes Barre took advantage of a first inning error by Brandywine to build a two-run lead, but the Lions got one run back in the second when Reynolds walked and came around to score on a base hit from Joey Buoni (Chester Heights, Pa./Salesianum).

Brandywine went in front for good one frame later as Masi launched a two-run home run, his ninth of the season, well over the left field fence. Buoni's sacrifice fly in the sixth added an insurance run for Brandywine.

After Masi put the Lions in front, Michaels took over, retiring 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. Michaels earned his third win of the season after striking out seven and limiting Wilkes Barre to just four hits.

Five different players tallied a hit for Brandywine, while Masi and Buoni both drove in two runs.

DuBois, which won its first-ever PSUAC title, earned the league's automatic bid to next week's USCAA Tournament.