Brandywine Earns Top Seed In PSUAC Softball Tournament

MEDIA, Pennsylvania -- Penn State Brandywine will be the top seed in the PSUAC Softball Tournament when it begins Wednesday in State College after rolling through the regular season with a 14-0 league mark.

Brandywine (19-10, 14-0), the first PSUAC softball team to post an unblemished record against conference foes since 2011, earned a bye through the first round and will open play at 3:00 pm on Wednesday against the winner of the No. 4 Mont Alto - No. 5 Scranton game.

In just their second season as a varsity program, the Lions were dominant against PSUAC competition during the regular season, outscoring opponents 179-25. Only four of Brandywine's 14 conference games spanned the entire seven innings as the Lions ended 10 games early by run rule.

Under Head Coach Mark Caserta's direction, Brandywine batted .350 this spring, led by leadoff hitter Lindsey Dellavecchio's .405 batting average. Katy Steffen provided power in the middle of the order with a team-best seven home runs and 42 runs batted in. Julia Allman added 26 RBI, while Lauryn Geduldick (.342 BA, 2 HR, 21 RBI) and Robyn Gannon (.395 BA, 29 RBI) were among a number of freshmen who enjoyed standout regular seasons.

Brandywine's pitching duo of Katie DeStefano and Danielle Spina gave the Lions two of the league's top hurlers. DeStefano went 7-0 with five shutouts and four one-hitters in six games against PSUAC teams, while Spina posted a 6-0 record against league foes and went 10-3 overall in the circle.

Tournament play open on Wednesday with first round games pitting No. 3 Hazleton and No. 6 Beaver and fourth-seeded Mont Alto facing fifth-seeded Scranton at 1:00 pm. No. 2 Schuylkill has also earned a bye and will face the Hazleton-Beaver winner later in the day. Following first round games, the tournament will follow a double-elimination format.

Games on Wednesday and Thursday will take place in Boalsburg, Pa., at Oak Hall Park (Directions), a five-minute drive from Penn State's campus. Friday's championship game will be played at Beard Field, the home of Penn State's Division I softball team.

The winner of the PSUAC Tournament will gain the league's automatic bid to the USCAA Tournament in Akron, Ohio (May 11-14) and a chance to play for the national championship.

PSUAC Tournament Schedule:

Wednesday, Apr. 29 (all at Oak Hall Park – Boalsburg, Pa.)
1:00 pm – Game 1 – Mont Alto vs. Scranton
1:00 pm – Game 2 – Hazleton vs. Beaver
3:00 pm – Game 3 – Brandywine vs. Game 1 winner
3:00 pm – Game 4 – Schuylkill vs. Game 2 winner
5:00 pm – Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
5:00 pm – Game 6 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser

Thursday, Apr. 30 (Oak Hall Park)
1:00 pm – Game 7 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
3:00 pm – Game 8 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
5:00 pm – Game 9 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser

Friday, May 1 (Beard Field)
12:00 pm – Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
2:00 pm – If necessary