Back-To-Back: Brandywine Wins Second-Straight USCAA National Championship

DUBOIS, Pa. – No. 1 Penn State Brandywine had to wait a few hours longer than anticipated after dropping the championship opener 8-7 to Salem University (W.Va.), but the Lions bounced back to claim the winner-take-all title game by a 5-3 score to secure the team's second-straight United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series Softball National Championship on Thursday afternoon.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 5, Salem 3

Brandywine (38-9) quickly rebounded from the opening game setback, scoring all of the runs it would need during a four-run first inning as the Lions bested the Tigers 5-3 to complete a second consecutive championship run.

Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) reached base safely to open the first inning for the fifth time in in as many World Series games and came around to score on Payton Landis' (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) base hit three batters later. After Emily Reagan (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) crossed home via Karly Rees' (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) ground ball, Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and World Series MVP Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) delivered back-to-back RBI doubles to up the count to 4-0.

Reagan tacked on a run-scoring single during the second inning to stake Lions' pitcher April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) to a five-run lead.

The Tigers put three runs on the board via four hits in the third to narrow the gap to 5-3, but Lewandowski allowed just one hit the rest of the way. She worked around a two-out triple in the fifth and a pair of walks in the sixth before setting the side down in order in the seventh. Lewandowski induced a fly ball to Naya Rivera (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) for the final out that set off a celebration in the pitcher's circle.

Lewandowski earned the win in the circle to complete the season with a 16-2 record after tossing her eighth complete game of the season.

Reagan and Rees both tallied two hits for the Lions, who collected eight knocks overall. Bussenger will enter her junior season having hit in 48-straight games after extending her streak with a sixth-inning base hit. In addition to setting a single-season program record with 81 hits this spring, Bussenger stole two bases, upping her total to 70, also a new team record.

Cassario, James and Landis all posted a hit and an RBI, while Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) walked and stole a base during the final game of the seniors' careers. Landis, who collected the 200^th hit of her career earlier in the day, finished her career as Brandywine's all-time leader in games played (165), RBI (164) and second in hits (201). Cassario owns more wins than any pitcher in Brandywine history (44), while Ferry is the Lions' all-time home runs leader (25). Cassario, Ferry and James all rank among the top 10 on the team's career hits list.

Brandywine finished the season with a record of 38-9, breaking the team's single-season record for victories set last year (37). The Lions will enter their first year of NCAA Division III membership in 2025 having won at least 35 games in three-straight seasons. The team owns a 110-30 record during that span.

Game One: Salem 8, Penn State Brandywine 7

Salem forced a winner-take-all game after rallying to best the Lions 8-7 during the first contest of the day.

The Tigers built a 6-2 lead through four innings, but Brandywine stormed back with five runs during the fifth frame. Landis' 200^th career hit started the rally as her RBI single plated Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown). James added a two-run double before Cassario whacked a two-run home run over the right-center field fence to give Brandywine the lead.

Salem scored single runs during the sixth and seventh inning to reclaim the lead. Brandywine threatened during its final at-bat, loading the bases with two outs, but could not push across a run to tie the score.

Sarah Moore (New Holland, Pa./Pequea Valley) pitched the final two innings of her 104-game career. She won 12 games in the circle and posted a 1.87 ERA during four season in blue and white.

In addition to Landis becoming the second player in Brandywine history with 200 career hits, Rees went 4-for-4 and Mushinski, the USCAA National Player of the Year, added two hits to highlight the Lions at the plate. Mushinski finished with her second-straight, 60-hit campaign and a single-season record 70 RBI.

Brandywine is the second Penn State University Athletic Conference team to win consecutive national titles. The championship is the fourth overall for the Brandywine athletic department, which also owns two USCAA men's soccer crowns.