Brandywine Advances To PSUAC Tournament Winners’ Bracket With 7-3 Triumph

ASTON, Pa. -- Top-seeded Penn State Brandywine is now one victory away from playing for the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championship following a 7-3 opening-round victory over No. 2 Penn State Schuylkill on Friday afternoon.

The Lions (12-4) will meet a PSUAC West Division opponent still to be determined in the winners' bracket game at 2:00 pm at Showers Field in DuBois, Pa., on Sunday, May 9. Penn State Mont Alto, Penn State DuBois and Penn State Greater Allegheny remain in contention from the West Division.

Tyler Brooks (Oxford, Pa./Oxford), the USCAA batting leader, went 4-for-4 at the plate and blasted his third home run of the spring, while Hayden Altimari (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony's) and Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View) each had two hits to pace the Lions offensively. Brooks also stole two bases and Altimari collected a pair of RBI.

Brandywine spotted Schuylkill a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but immediately answered with a run in the bottom of the inning. Three consecutive one-out singles loaded the bases for Abegg, who tallied a sacrifice fly to score Ben Mutz (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven) with the game-tying run.

One inning later, Brandywine took the lead as Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) worked a two-out walk and came around to score on Brian Reynolds' (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) double.

Brooks started a three-run third inning rally with a base hit. Following an error and a single from Abegg, Altimari delivered a run-scoring single to center field. Toby Skeans (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) and Baughman followed with run-scoring base hits to up the lead to 5-1.

After Schuylkill brought the margin to 5-2 with a run in the fourth, Brooks answered right back for Brandywine, sending a leadoff home run through the wind and over the left field fence. The long ball was Brooks' team-leading third of the season. Four batters later, Altimari added his second run-scoring single of the afternoon to give the Lions their seventh run.

Tyler Wright (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) picked up his third win of the season. He pitched the first five innings, striking out four, while allowing three runs (two earned). Mutz fired two scoreless innings of relief, fanning three and yielding just one hit.

A victory on May 9 would send Brandywine to its first PSUAC Championship game since 2018. The Lions have advanced to the conference finals 12 times in the last 25 seasons.