Brandywine’s Sixth-Inning Rally Stuns D’Youville

DUBOIS, Pa. – Payton Landis (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) delivered a go-ahead two-run single as part of a four-run bottom of the sixth as the second-seeded Penn State Brandywine softball team rallied past No. 7 D'Youville 8-7 in the first round of the USCAA Softball World Series late Monday night.

Brandywine rallied from two runs down twice during the first three innings before overcoming a 7-4 deficit by scoring four times on five hits in the sixth.

Emily Reagan (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) started the final comeback with a leadoff double just inside the left field line. Two batters later, Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) legged out an infield single, putting two runners on base for Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury), who singled in Reagan. Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) followed with an infield single that scored Bussenger before Landis pushed across Mushinski and James with a base hit through the left side of the infield, giving Brandywine its first lead of the game.

Sarah Moore (New Holland, Pa./Pequea Valley) retired the Saints in order in the seventh to preserve the victory. Moore recorded her third win of the season after pitching the final two innings. Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) spun a 1-2-3 fifth inning, while Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) yielded six runs and fanned two during the game's first four innings.

All nine batters had a hit for the Lions, who totaled 13 overall. Landis, Mushinski, Reagan and Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) all recorded a pair of knocks, while Landis posted three RBI.

Landis got the scoring started for Brandywine in the first, driving in Mushinski with a base hit that cut the D'Youville two-run lead to one. One frame later, Cassario equaled the score by doubling in Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City), who led off the second inning with a walk.

D'Youville scored twice in the third, but Brandywine immediately answered with two runs as Ferry and Rees both provided run-scoring doubles during the bottom of the frame.

The Saints jumped back in front with two runs in the fourth and added an insurance run in the sixth before Brandywine rallied for four sixth-inning runs.

Brandywine (34-8) will face the winner of Penn State New Kensington-Central Maine on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.