Brandywine, Schuylkill Split Final Two Games Of Weekend Series

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. – Penn State Schuylkill rallied for a 2-1 victory in game one, but the Penn State Brandywine baseball team bounced back to defeat Schuylkill 6-3 in game two as the teams split a doubleheader for the second time in three days on Sunday afternoon.

Game One: Penn State Schuylkill 2, Penn State Brandywine 1

Brandywine led 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, but Schuylkill struck for a two-out run to tie the score and plated the go-ahead run with two outs one frame later to claim a 2-1 victory.

The Lions got on the board first during the third frame. After loading the bases with two outs, Ryan Brown (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) delivered a base hit, scoring Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View).

Michael Govan (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) retired the first two batters of the fifth inning; however, a single, stolen base and another base hit tied the score. One frame later, Nate Gilbert's RBI single produced the go-ahead run.

Brandywine put two runners on base during the final inning, but could not push a run across the plate.

Govan took the loss on the mound despite limiting Schuylkill to two runs on five hits and striking out five. Abegg and Owen Lawton (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown East) both tallied two hits to pace the offense.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 6, Penn State Schuylkill 3

Brandywine scored the game's first five runs and held off Schuylkill late as the Lions rebounded to win game two by a 6-3 count.

Mike DeGirolamo (Frederick, Md./Frederick) singled, Sam Benvignati (Aston, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) walked and both runners came around to score on Brown's double that gave Brandywine a 2-0 edge in the second inning.

DeGirolamo added a two-run double of his own in the third and Benvignati followed with a run-scoring base hit to up the Lions' lead to 5-0. Schuylkill got a run back in the bottom of the frame, but Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) answered with his second home run of the season, a solo shot, to lead off the fifth inning.

Schuylkill mounted a two-out rally in the seventh, plating a pair of runs before bringing the tying run to the plate; however, Ty Coccia (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) got Gilbert to line out to Abegg to end the game.

Coccia pitched the final two innings in relief of Josh Hess (Panama City, Fla./Arnold), who earned his first collegiate victory. Hess worked five innings on the mound, allowing just one run on two hits, while striking out three.

Baughman, Benvignati, Brown, DeGirolamo and Ryan Snyder (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) all tallied two-hit efforts. Snyder also stole a base, while Shawn Webb (Drexel Hill, Pa./Bonner-Prendie) swiped three bags.

Brandywine (7-8, 2-2 PSUAC) visits Penn State Berks Wednesday for a 3:30 PM game.