Brandywine Takes Series Opener From Schuylkill 8-3

ASTON, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine baseball team claimed the opening game of a three-game weekend set against Penn State Schuylkill, winning 8-3 Thursday night at Maple Zone.

Tyler Brooks (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) went 3-for-4 with four RBI at the plate to pace the Lions' offensively. Brooks is now 10-for-13 in three games versus Schuylkill in his career.

Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) stole a base and scored twice, while Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View) crossed home three times. Hayden Altimari (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony) and Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) both drove in two runs.

Schuylkill scored a first-inning run off Brandywine starter Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster), but the Lions answered with two runs in their half of the first. Baughman and Abegg singled to begin the frame and both came around to score on Brooks' base hit.

Two innings later, Brandywine padded its lead by plating a pair of two-out runs. Brooks singled in Abegg, who had reached on an error, while Altimari followed with a base hit that allowed Brooks to score.

Schuylkill trimmed the Lions' lead to 4-2 in the seventh, but Brandywine put the game away during the bottom of the inning, adding four more runs. First, Wright drove in two with a bases-loaded single. Brooks collected his third run-scoring hit of the night and Altimari drove in the Lions' final run with a groundout.

Thompson went the first 6.1 innings to earn his fourth win of the season. He struck out three, while allowing two runs on six hits. Ricky Palmer (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) worked Brandywine out of a seventh inning jam by retiring the final two batters of the frame. Greg Adams (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley) tossed a scoreless eighth inning and Dan Nearey (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) yielded one run in the ninth.

Brandywine (14-11, 8-2 PSUAC) visits Schuylkill for the final two games of the series Saturday beginning at 2:00 PM.