Brandywine Secures Series Opener With Hazleton 10-4

MEDIA, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine baseball team opened its final three-game conference series of the season with a 10-4 victory over Penn State Hazleton on Friday night.

The Lions fell into a 3-0 hole after the first inning, but rallied to knot the count at 3-3 in the third. Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View) got the rally started with a one-out triple. After Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) walked and stole second, Tyler Brooks (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) singled in both baserunners to get Brandywine within one. Brooks then stole a pair of bases and came around to score the tying run thanks to a Hazleton throwing error.

Two innings later, Brandywine took the lead as Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) scored via Hazleton error and Toby Skeans (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) worked a bases-loaded walk to force in Abegg.

Hazleton got a run back in the sixth; however, Brandywine struck for four more runs during the bottom half of the inning to take control of the game. Baughman, Wright and Hayden Altimari (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony) all provided RBI singles, while Max Tavarez's (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) bases-loaded walk forced in the fourth score.

Skeans produced the final run of the night with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly, scoring Altimari.

Abegg tallied four of Brandywine's nine hits at the plate, while Wright reached base in four-of-five plate appearances, collecting three base on balls and a single. Baughman, Abegg, Wright and Altimari all scored a pair of runs. Wright also stole two bases, while Brooks swiped four bags.

Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) earned his team-high fifth win of the season on the mound. Thompson went six innings, striking out five, while yielding two earned runs on seven hits. Ricky Palmer (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) did not allow a run over the next two innings, fanning two, while Ben Norris (Wilmington, Del./Mt. Pleasant) pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Brandywine (16-14, 9-4 PSUAC) and Hazleton close out the three-game set with a doubleheader Saturday at Hazleton. Brandywine must earn at least a split of the doubleheader to claim a PSUAC Tournament bid.