Brandywine Rolls To Sixth Consecutive PSUAC Softball Championship

DUBOIS, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine scored seven times during the first inning and never looked back en route to winning its sixth-straight Penn State University Athletic Conference softball championship early Tuesday morning. The top-seeded Lions defeated Penn State Mont Alto, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, 8-0 in five innings.

Brandywine collected six runs on six hits against PSUAC West Pitcher of the Year Kirsten Dell in just one-third of an inning and added one more run off relief pitcher Emily Bittinger during a nine-hit first inning.

Rachel Cherubini (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) singled and Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) doubled to put two runners in scoring position for Payton Landis (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), who delivered a two-run single for the game's first two scores.

Three consecutive base hits from Rebecca Sorrentino (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby), Haley Grossi (Monmouth Junction, N.J./South Brunswick) and Lianna DeDios (Elmwood Park, N.J./Memorial) added another run before Sarah Moore (New Holland, Pa./Pequea Valley) greeted Bittinger with the inning's biggest hit, a bases-clearing triple in the right-center field gap.

Alexia Galli (Glenolden, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) drove in Moore with the frame's final run via a single to up the margin to 7-0.

From there, Brandywine cruised to the finish, winning its third championship by run rule during its six-year title run.

Rebecca Halford (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) stymied the Mont Alto offense, which had averaged nearly seven runs per game during the season, firing her conference-leading eighth shutout. Halford went all five innings, scattering five hits, while striking out one, to claim her 10th victory.

All nine hitters in the Brandywine lineup produced at least one base hit, led by a 3-for-3 performance from Cherubini, who added the Lions' eighth run with a third inning single. Ferry, Grossi, DeDios and Moore all tallied a pair of hits. DeDios also scored twice and stole a base.

Brandywine (20-5) will now set its sights on the USCAA World Series, which begins Monday in DuBois. The fourth-seeded Lions will open the tournament against No. 5 Carlow at a time to be determined later this week.