Home Runs Power Brandywine To Sweep

DUNMORE, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine hit two home runs during each game and powered past Penn State Scranton to earn its third-straight PSUAC four-game sweep on Saturday night. The Lions scored victories by counts of 9-2 and 15-2.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 9, Penn State Scranton 2

Evan Abegg (Commerce City, Colo./Prairie View) hit a two-run home run during the first inning and Brandywine never looked back, winning game one 9-2.

After Ryan Snyder (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) singled to lead off the game, Abegg lifted his first home run of the season to give the Lions a 2-0 edge. Snyder doubled in a run, while Toby Skeans (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) singled in Owen Lawton (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown East) to double the margin to 4-0 one frame later.

Cam Baughman (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) doubled and scored on Sam Benvignati's (Aston, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) base hit before Skeans blasted a three-run home run to cap a four-run fifth inning.

Lawton's ground ball was enough to score Baughman with the Lions' final run in the seventh.

Brandywine accumulated 12 hits, including three from Benvignati and two each by Baughman, Skeans and Snyder. Michael Govan (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) was the winning pitcher as he tossed all seven innings, striking out five, while allowing two runs on three hits.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 15, Penn State Scranton 2

Brandywine eased to victory during the final game of the four-game series, extending its winning streak to 15-straight games in the process.

Benvignati's third home run of the year, a three-run shot, started a four-run first inning as Brandywine jumped on top early once again. Skeans followed three batters later with a RBI single.

Scranton got two runs back during the bottom of the first inning, but run-scoring singles from Benvignati and Mike DeGirolamo (Frederick, Md./Frederick) made the score 6-2 through two frames.

Benvignati was issued a bases-loaded walk and Ryan Brown (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) followed with a two-run single during a three-run third inning. Brown launched a three-run home run one frame later as Brandywine blew the game open with six more runs.

Benvignati was 2-for-3 with five RBI, while Brown had three hits, reached base safely four times and drove in five runs. Lawton added three hits and stole two bases. Josh Hess (Panama City, Fla./Arnold) earned the win on the mound after striking out two and allowing two runs (one earned) in two innings. Ty Coccia (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) fired three scoreless inning in relief.

Brandywine (21-8, 14-2 PSUAC) hosts Central Penn at Glen Mills School on Tuesday beginning at 3:00 PM.