Brandywine Drops 12-Inning Opener To Rosemont

ASTON, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine built a four-run lead, but Rosemont rallied to defeat the Lions 6-5 in 12 innings during the 2023 baseball season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

Brandywine brought a 4-0 edge into the fifth inning before Rosemont struck for a pair of runs. The Ravens tied the score in the seventh and once more in the ninth.

Three consecutive base hits loaded the bases for Mike DeGirolamo (Frederick, Md./Frederick), who lined a groundout to third, scoring Toby Skeans (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) with the game's first run.  One batter later, Shawn Webb (Drexel Hill, Pa./Bonner-Prendie) reached safely on a two-out, infield single that plated Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View) for a 2-0 Brandywine lead in the third.

Base hits by Skeans and Kyle Oechsle (Coopersburg, Pa./Palisades) put a pair of runners on base for Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley), who delivered a two-run single, doubling the Lions' lead in the fourth.

Rosemont got two runs back in the fifth before evening the count at 4-4 by scoring two runs on three base hits in the seventh.

Brandywine went back in front during the bottom of the eighth thanks to Oechsle's two-out single through the middle that allowed Ryan Snyder (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) to score the go-ahead run; however, Rosemont took advantage of two walks in the ninth and sent the game to extra innings when Dom Fernicola drove in Dom Younger with a two-out single.

After a scoreless 10th and 11th innings, a two-out error helped to give Rosemont the lead in the 12th. Abegg worked a leadoff walk during the bottom of the frame, but the Lions could not push the tying run across.

Wright and Oechsle both tallied three hits in five at-bats, while Abegg, Webb and Skeans all tallied two knocks.

Seven Brandywine pitchers combined to strike out 19 Rosemont batters. Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) fanned six over three scoreless innings, while Abegg and Skeans both tallied four strikeouts. Dan Nearey (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) collected three strikeouts in two innings of work and Tim Cohen (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) tallied one. Michael Govan (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) took the loss despite not allowing an earned run and striking out one in 1.1 innings.

Brandywine and Rosemont close out the weekend series Sunday at Maple Zone at 12:00 PM.