Brandywine Rides Offense To Game One Victory Over Hazleton

DUBOIS, Pa. – Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) blasted a grand slam and Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) launched a solo home run as the Penn State Brandywine offense erupted for 13 runs on 10 hits during a 13-2 Penn State University Athletic Conference Softball Championship victory over Penn State Hazleton on Sunday.

Brandywine and Hazleton will meet in game two of the best-of-three championship series at noon in State College on Monday as the Lions will play for their seventh-straight PSUAC title.

The Lions wasted no time in starting the scoring, plating three runs in the bottom of the first. Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) walked and scored on Payton Landis' (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) groundout to get the scoring started. Ferry crossed home following an error, while Cassario lifted a double to left field, scoring Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford).

Hazleton got single runs during the third and fourth innings, but Brandywine put the game away by scoring five times in the fourth. Cassario led off the inning with a long solo home run to right-center field. Two more runs scored on Gianna Terpolilli's (Hammonton, N.J./Our Lady of Mercy) triple. Terpolilli crossed home via Taylor D'Attilio's (Hammonton, N.J./Cedar Creek) sacrifice fly, while Landis pushed Ferry across with a base hit.

Brandywine ended the game in five innings by scoring five more times. Gianna Casale (Hamilton,N.J./Steinert) scored via error before Ferry ended the game with a grand slam, her ninth home run of the season. Ferry's nine long balls moved her into a tie for the conference lead and matched a Brandywine single-season record held by Alexa Anderson since 2018.

Lianna DeDios (Elmwood Park, N.J./Memorial) went 3-for-3 at the plate, while Ferry posted two hits and scored three runs. James, Terpolilli and Destiny Brophy (Bristol, Pa./Bristol) all crossed home twice.

In addition to going 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBI, Cassario was the winning pitcher for the 15^th time this spring. She tossed her 16^th complete game as Cassario struck out four and allowed just one earned run on three hits.

Brandywine (31-11) will look to become the sixth team in PSUAC history in any of its 10 sponsored sports to win seventh-straight championships Monday at Nittany Lion Softball Park.