Brandywine Tops Cedar Crest In Home Opener

ASTON, Pa. – The Penn State Brandywine softball team opened a 12-game home stand by sweeping Cedar Crest on Thursday afternoon. The Lions held on for a 5-4, nine-inning victory in game one and ran away with the nightcap, winning 9-1 in six innings.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 5, Cedar Crest 4 (9 innings)

Brandywine built a four-run lead and survived a Cedar Crest comeback by walking off a victory in nine innings.

Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) started the ninth inning on second base before stealing third. After a walk, Emily Reagan (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) set down a squeeze bunt that allowed James to cross home with the game-winning run.

Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Yardley) pitched the final 2.2 innings to earn the win in the circle. DeFazio struck out one and did not allow a hit in relief of Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury). Cassario also recorded one strikeout, while surrendering four runs (three earned) in 6.1 innings.

Cassario got a three-run second inning started with a run-scoring double. Three batters later, Cassario scored via error and Reagan followed with a RBI double that plated Lianna DeDios (Elmwood Park, N.J./Elmwood Park Memorial) for a 3-0 Brandywine lead.

The Lions added a fourth run in the third as Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) singled, stole two bases and scored on Payton Landis' (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) sacrifice fly.

Cedar Crest got one run back in the sixth and then scored three times in the seventh to equal the score and send the games to extra innings.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 9, Cedar Crest 1 (6 innings)

Brandywine scored in all six at-bats of game two, pulling away for a 9-1 victory.

Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) and April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) both produced three hits, while Cassario tallied two hits and Farrell Everett (Wynnewood, Pa./Haverford) drove in two runs.

Lewandowski helped her own cause as she also earned her fourth victory in the circle, tallying three strikeouts over six innings, while limiting Cedar Crest to one run on three hits.

Mushinski doubled in Ferry to start the scoring in the first. Lewandowski led off the second inning with a double and scored on DeDios' groundout, while Mushinski crossed home on a Landis double in the third. Mushinski drove a single to right to plate Everett one frame later and Everett made the score 5-1 in the fifth when her groundout was enough to plate Lewandowski.

The Lions ended the game early by scoring four times on six hits during the bottom of the sixth inning. Ferry led off with her second home run of the season. Three batters later, Cassario tallied a run-scoring double. James followed by delivering a run-scoring triple and Everett ended the game early by pushing across James with a two-base hit.

Brandywine tallied 13 hits overall, including seven that went for extra bases.

The Lions (7-3) are idle until Thursday when they host Haverford for a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 PM.