Brandywine Bests DuBois; Advances To Seventh-Straight PSUAC Title Game

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine staved off elimination three times in the last two days, including twice Saturday, and will now play for its seventh-straight Penn State University Athletic Conference championship as the top-seeded Lions bested fourth-seeded Penn State DuBois. Brandywine built a five-run lead and held on to win 6-5 in the opener before rolling 11-0 in game two.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 6, Penn State DuBois 5

Brandywine owned a 6-1 lead and held off DuBois to force a winner-take-all fifth game of the tournament after claiming game one, 6-5.

DuBois scored a first-inning run, but Brandywine answered immediately with two in its half of the second. A walk, an error and a single from Gianna Terpolilli (Hammonton, N.J./Our Lady of Mercy) loaded the bases with no outs for Lianna DeDios (Elmwood Park, N.J./Memorial). DeDios lined a two-run double down the left field line, scoring Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) and Destiny Brophy (Bristol, Pa./Bristol).

Brandywine added two more runs in the third as Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) singled, stole second and scored on Payton Landis' (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) base hit. Three batters later, Brophy's groundout allowed Kassidy Hoffman (Fallsington, Pa./Pennsbury) to score, making the count 4-1.

The Lions recorded three-straight singles to begin the fifth and added two more scores as Landis crossed home via error and DeDios sent a base hit to right field to plate Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford).

DuBois produced two runs during its half of the fifth to get within 6-3 and used a two-out rally in the seventh to get within one; however, Cassario got Skylar Ceprish to pop out to Landis for the game's final out.

Cassario earned her league-leading 15th victory. She pitched all seven innings, striking out three, while allowing five runs on eight hits.

DeDios led the Lions at the plate with three hits and three RBI. Landis also tallied three hits, while Rees collected two.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 11, Penn State DuBois 0

Sarah Moore (New Holland, Pa./Pequea Valley) made quick work of DuBois in the top of the first, retiring the side in order on five pitches, before the Lions' bats got going in the bottom of the inning.

Six runs scored before the first out was recorded and seven crossed home in all during the opening inning. After Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) led off with a double, Ferry blasted a two-run home run, her eighth of the year, over the left field fence. Singles by Landis and Rees and a walk to Cassario loaded the bases for Brophy, who sent a two-run double down the left field line. Terpolilli added a single into the right-center field gap, scoring two more runs, before crossing home with the Lions' seventh run on a James groundout.

Cassario singled in Rees and scored via error before DeDios' groundout plated Brophy during a three-run second inning. Cassario added a long, run-scoring double in the third to account for the last of Brandywine's scoring.

Moore needed just 62 pitches to complete five innings as she tossed her second shutout of the spring and earned her second win of the PSUAC Tournament. She struck out one, while scattering five singles.

Landis collected her second three-hit game of the day, while Cassario and Brophy both had two hits and two RBI.

Brandywine (30-11), the first PSUAC team to win 30 games in a season since 2015, will face an opponent still to be determined Sunday, May 8 at 4:00 PM in DuBois for the first game of the three-game PSUAC Championship Series.