Brandywine Rolls Over Hazleton In Series Opener

ASTON, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine baseball team continued its winning ways Friday afternoon with a 15-2 victory over Penn State Hazleton in the first matchup of a three-game weekend series.

Brandywine's 2-3-4 hitters in its lineup combined to go 8-for-12 at the plate as the Lions won for the 10th time in 11 games this spring.

Tyler Brooks (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the year with a 3-for-4 performance, while Kyle Oechsle (Coopersburg, Pa./Palisades) added three hits and Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Keaton Janiszewski (Dunedin, Fla./Keswick Christian) added two hits, three RBI and two runs scored, while Nick Razzano (South River, N.J./South River) also had a two-hit game and drove in two runs.

Hazleton held the Lions off the board for the first three innings, but Brandywine struck for seven runs in the fourth on just four hits to take control of the game. Janiszewski's bases-loaded fielder's choice scored Wright with the Lions' first run. An error allowed the go-ahead score to cross home, while Razzano worked a bases-loaded walk to plate another. Dalton Palmer (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) added an RBI single and Brooks finished the rally with a two-run triple.

After an error allowed two fifth-inning runs to score for Brandywine, the Lions continued to pile on in the sixth when Wright tripled in Brooks and scored along with Hayden Altimari (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony) on Janiszewski's two-run single. Razzano added an RBI single to up Brandywine's lead to 13-2.

Oechsle tacked on a run-scoring single in the seventh, while Altimari drove in Wright with a sacrifice fly to provide the final margin.

Brandywine's offense collected 13 hits in support of starter Dan Nearey (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley), who improved to 3-0 this spring. Nearey struck out three and allowed two earned runs in 4.2 innings. Ricky Palmer (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) fired 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out three.

Brandywine (10-1, 6-1 PSUAC) visits Hazleton for a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm.