Brandywine Plays To Split With Fayette

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine softball team was dealt its first conference defeat in game one, but bounced back to claim the nightcap and earn a doubleheader split at Penn State Fayette Friday afternoon. Fayette recorded a 2-0 triumph in the opener, while Brandywine claimed game two by a 6-4 count in eight innings. 

Game One: Penn State Fayette 2, Penn State Brandywine 0

Brandywine suffered just the second shutout loss to a conference opponent in the team's nine-year history in game one. Fayette also blanked the Lions 3-0 during their first season of varsity play in 2014.

The hosts got on the board with a first-inning run and took advantage of a Brandywine error to add an insurance run in the fifth.

The Lions' top opportunity to score came during the top of the fifth inning when Brandywine placed a pair of runners in scoring position with one out, but the Brandywine offense was unable to muster a run.

Payton Landis (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) recorded three singles, while Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) fired her 12th complete game of the spring, but took the loss in the circle.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 6, Penn State Fayette 4 (8 innings)

Brandywine rebounded to earn the split in game two behind the bat of Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City), who homered and recorded a pair of triples. 

Ferry's first three-base hit set the Lions up with their first run of the day as she came around to score on Landis' sacrifice fly in the third.

Fayette evened the score in the fourth, but Ferry blasted a solo home run in the fifth, her conference-leading sixth long ball of the season, to give Brandywine a one-run lead.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth when Fayette struck for a pair of runs. Two singled plus a pair of Brandywine miscues allowed Fayette to claim a 3-2 edge.

After Ferry tripled with one out in the seventh, Brandywine was down to its final out when Ferry sped home on a wild pitch to tie the score at 3-3 and send the game to extra innings.

Cassario's swinging bunt made it through the infield, allowing Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) to score the go-ahead run in the eighth. Brandywine added on as an error put two runners in scoring position for Gianna Casale (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert), who delivered an RBI single, and Fayette's fifth miscue of the game yielded another Brandywine run.

Fayette got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, but Sarah Moore (New Holland, Pa./Pequea Valley) recorded a groundout to end the game. Moore improved to 3-0 in the circle after allowing just one earned run and striking out two hitters in eight innings.

In addition to Ferry's three hits and three runs scored, Farrell Everett (Wynnewood, Pa./Haverford) tallied a pair of hits.

Brandywine (22-9, 11-1 PSUAC) rounds out its weekend in western Pennsylvania Saturday at Penn State New Kensington. First pitch of game one has moved to 2:00 PM at No Offseason West Deer.