Brandywine Rallies For Doubleheader Sweep; Lewandowski Records 200th Strikeout

ABINGTON, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine pulled away late to win game one 9-3 and completed a doubleheader sweep of Penn State Abington by overcoming a 7-0 deficit to win the nightcap 10-8 in United East Conference softball action on Saturday afternoon. April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) recorded the 200^th strikeout of her three-year career in the opener.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 9, Penn State Abington 3

Lewandowski notched three strikeouts on the day to up her career total to 200. She became the third pitcher in the 12-year history of Brandywine softball to reach the 200-strikeout mark, joining former teammate Crystal Cassario and the program's all-time leader Katie DeStefano, who owns 254 Ks.

Lewandowski upped her record to 13-3 this spring in a complete-game effort. She limited Abington to two runs on seven hits in 7.0 innings.

The teams were tied 3-3 entering the sixth inning, but Brandywine rattled off the final six runs of the game to win the first-ever meeting between the teams.

Triples from Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) and Quinn Rosario (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) gave Brandywine a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Two more runs scored in the fourth as Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) doubled in Jordan DuBois (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) and scored on Emma McElroy's (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston) base hit.

Abington scored single runs during the third, fourth and fifth innings to tie the score at 3-all.

An error and back-to-back singles from Gigi Duca (Bear, Del./Smyrna) and Bussenger got a two-run rally started in the sixth for the Lions. McElroy's groundout scored Rosario with the go-ahead run, while Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) plated Duca with a sacrifice fly.

The Lions put the game away by tacking on four more runs one frame later. Duca's single scored two before Bussenger doubled in a run and came around to score on McElroy's base hit.

Bussenger was 4-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base, while Culbertson posted three hits. Duca added two knocks, two RBI and scored twice and McElroy notched two hits.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 10, Penn State Abington 8

Brandywine spotted the hosts a 7-0 lead through one frame, but battled back to finish off the conference sweep.

The Lions got on the board for the first time during the third inning when Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) tripled in Bussenger and Duca and later came around to score on Shelby DeCillis' (Iselin, N.J./Colonia) single.

Bussenger singled, stole second and scored on McElroy's double and Mushinski added a RBI single during a two-run fourth inning.

Brandywine took the lead by plating four fifth-inning runs. Three-straight doubles from DeCillis, Culbertson and DuBois to start the frame tied the count at 7-7. Rosario put Brandywine in front with a run-scoring base hit and Bussenger added a RBI with a groundout. McElroy's seventh-inning sacrifice fly provided the Lions with an insurance marker.

After entering the game with two outs during the bottom of the first frame, Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Regional) held Abington to one hit until the final inning. Abington scored a run on three hits to get within two and brought the game-winning run to the plate with two outs, but Hurta gloved a comebacker to the circle to end the threat.

Hurta yielded one run on four hits, while striking out four as she improved to 8-3 on the season. Culbertson tallied her second three-hit game of the day, while Bussenger, DeCillis, DuBois and Duca all collected a pair of knocks.

Brandywine (25-7, 11-1 UEC) begins the final week of the regular season on Tuesday when the Lions host St. Elizabeth at 3:00 PM.