Brandywine Drops Two Against Berks

ASTON, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine baseball team dropped a pair of non-conference matchups with Penn State Berks on Wednesday afternoon by scores of 5-3 and 11-8 at Maple Zone.

Game One: Penn State Berks 5, Penn State Brandywine 3

A single and a double followed by a two-run home run from Chad Evans put Berks on top 3-0 early in the first inning of game one, but Brandywine evened the score with a three-spot in the second inning.

Tyler Brooks (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) led off with a triple and came around to score on Kyle Oechsle's (Coopersburg, Pa./Palisades) base hit to get the Lions on the board. After Oechsle stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch, he crossed home via balk. Jack Hedger's (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) two-out, run-scoring single that plated Keaton Janiszewski (Dunedin, Fla./Keswick Christian) knotted the count at 3-3.

The score remained the same until the sixth inning when a balk was called with the bases loaded as Berks pushed the go-ahead run across the plate. The visitors added an insurance tally on a passed ball that scored Kolbie Reeser.

Berks' pitcher Colin Wilson retired the Lions in order in the sixth and seventh to preserve the victory. Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) received the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) in six innings, while striking out four. Matt Brucato (Jamesburg, N.J./Monroe Township) set down Berks in order in the seventh inning.

Brandywine recorded four hits, including a single from Oechsle, who also scored a run and stole a base.

Game Two: Penn State Berks 11, Penn State Brandywine 8

It was a mirror image from game one as Berks plated three runs, including an Evans' two-run blast, during the opening frame of the night cap.

Berks plated five more runs in the second and added three in the fourth to build an 11-0 edge before Brandywine mounted a rally.

Brandywine scored for the first time in the fourth when Jimmy Carey (Springfield, Pa./Bonner-Prendie) singled in Shawn Webb (Drexel Hill, Pa./Bonner-Prendie), who doubled to lead off the inning.

Four more runs crossed the plate in the fifth as Mike DeGirolamo (Fredrick, Md./Fredrick) scored Nasir Jackson (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy) with a base hit and then scored on Webb's double. Carey's bases-loaded walk forced in Oechsle, while Lamar Thomas (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Performing Arts) brought in Webb with a sacrifice fly.

The Lions loaded the bases with no outs in the final frame to continue the rally. Evan Shade (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) made the score 11-6 when he scored on a passed ball. Carey crossed home following a wild pitch and Max Tavarez (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) came home on Julian Clark's (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling) groundout, bringing the score to 11-8. The Lions put two more runners on base to bring the tying run to the plate, but Dom Mayorca recorded his second strikeout of the inning to end the rally and the game.

Webb recorded a pair of doubles, while Jackson and Oechsle both collected two hits to account for six of the Lions' nine knocks in the nightcap. Webb also scored twice and Jackson recorded his fourth stolen base of the year.

Ty Coccia (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) suffered the loss on the mound, while Ben Norris (Wilmington, Del./Mt. Pleasant) fired three scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit.

Brandywine (11-8, 7-2 PSUAC) continues its homestand Friday against Rosemont at 4:00 PM.