Brandywine Holds Off Thomas, 9-7

CLERMONT, Fla. – Penn State Brandywine won for the third time in four games, besting Thomas College (Maine) 9-7 on Sunday morning during the second day of its Spring Break trip. The Lions' second game of the day, against D'Youville, was cancelled.

A six-run sixth inning was the difference for the Lions, who held off a late charge from the Terriers.

The game was scoreless entering the top of the third inning before Brandywine struck for its first run of the day. Gianna Terpolilli (Hammonton, N.J./Our Lady of Mercy Academy) singled with one out, stole second, and later came around to score on a groundout to give the Lions a 1-0 edge.

Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) launched her first home run of the year over the left field fence to double the Lions' margin one inning later. The Lions made it 3-0 when an error allowed Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) to cross home three batters later.

However, the Terriers answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth and evened the score one frame later.

Brandywine took control of the game in the sixth, sending 11 batters to the plate as the Lions put six runs on the board. Terpolilli lifted a bases-loaded double to left-center field, plating the first two runs of the inning. After a single by Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury), Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) delivered another two-run, two-base hit, upping the margin to 7-3. Rees later scored via a Terrier error, while Destiny Brophy (Bristol, Pa./Bristol) capped the six-run outburst with a RBI single that plated pinch-runner Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury).

Thomas pulled three runs closer in the bottom of the sixth and scored a two-out run in the seventh, but Rebecca Halford (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) recorded the final out on a ground ball to secure the Lions' third win.

Halford pitched the final 1.1 innings in relief of Cassario and earned the save. Halford struck out one and allowed an unearned run, while Cassario fanned seven Terriers and yielded five earned runs to move to 2-0 this spring.

Terpolilli recorded two hits, two RBI, scored two runs and stole a base, while James and Brophy also tallied a pair of hits. James stole her fourth base of the spring, while Ferry crossed home twice.

After a day off, Brandywine faces Bluffton (2:00 PM) and Bethany (4:15 PM) on Tuesday in Clermont.