Brandywine Moves Into PSUAC Tournament Winners’ Bracket; Wright Joins 100-Hit Club

MEDIA, Pa. -- No. 3 Penn State Brandywine avoided elimination with a 5-3 victory over No. 2 Penn State York to begin the day and then upended top-seeded Penn State Schuylkill 8-1 to move into the winners' bracket of the Penn State University Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament Friday afternoon. Senior Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) posted four hits on the day to push him past 100 for his career.

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

Brandywine plated the final four runs of the game to hold off Penn State York in the tournament's opener.

York led 1-0 entering the third inning, but Tyler Brooks (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) legged out an infield single that allowed Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) to score the tying run.

One frame later, York scored a pair of runs on three hits, retaking the lead; however it was shortlived as the Lions answered with a three-run fifth inning.

Consecutive singles from Baughman and Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View) put two runners on base to start the frame. Wright joined the 100-Hit Club with a base hit that started the scoring as Baughman crossed home. Wright, playing in his 96th career game, became just the 10th Penn State Brandywine baseball player with 100 career hits in the 40-year history of the program.

After Brooks was intentionally walked, Kyle Oechsle (Coopersburg, Pa./Palisades) tied the count with a run-scoring base hit. Two batters later, Toby Skeans' (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) sacrifice fly was deep enough to score Brooks with the go-ahead run.

Brooks added an insurance run in the sixth as his RBI single plated Abegg, who had singled and stole second earlier in the frame.

York put two runners on base with one out in the seventh, but Greg Adams (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley) got a pair of flyouts to end the threat.

Adams worked the final two innings, earning his first save of the season in relief of Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster). Thompson improved to 6-4 after tossing five innings, allowing three runs, while striking out four.

Abegg posted three hits, stole two bases and scored twice, while Brooks and Baughman also tallied two hits.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 8, Penn State Schuylkill 1

Brandywine scored six times in the fifth inning to pull away during its second game of the afternoon.

Wright produced three hits in four at-bats, while Abegg tallied two hits and scored three times and Brooks drove in three runs.

After picking up the save earlier, Adams fired the first five innings to claim a win in game two. He limited Schuylkill to one run on six hits, while striking out two. Ricky Palmer (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) collected two scoreless innings in relief of Adams.

Brandywine needed just three hits to score six times in the fifth as the Lions were aided by two errors, two walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball. Brooks' second sacrifice fly of the game scored Baughman, while Oechsle followed with a sacrifice fly that plate Abegg. Wright singled and later scored via error and a second miscue allowed Hayden Altimari (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony) to score after he had an earlier single. The final two runs came around to score on a wild pitch, scoring Skeans, and a passed ball, plating Julian Clark (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling).

Brandywine ran out to a 2-0 lead early as Brooks delivered a first-inning sacrifice fly and Abegg crossed home following an error in the third. Adams yielded a run in the fourth, but he retired five of the final six batters he faced before giving way to Palmer in the sixth.

Brandywine (19-15) will travel to Showers Field in Dubois, Pa., for a winners' bracket game on Sunday, May 8 at 1:45 PM. The Lions' opponent will be determined Saturday afternoon.