Brandywine Opens Season With Two Victories In Florida

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Penn State Brandywine softball team got the 2025 season underway on Saturday afternoon, winning a pair of games at The Spring Games Invitational. The Lions opened the day by downing North Central (Minn.) 13-0 and rallied for a 5-3 victory over New England College in the nightcap.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 13, North Central 0

Brandywine got off to a slow start before taking advantage of four second-inning walks to push its first three runs of the year across the plate.

Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) got the rally started with a one-out double and later came around to score on a wild pitch. Anna Caporale (Westampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) worked a bases-loaded walk to force in Naya Rivera (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest), while Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) crossed home via wild pitch.

Brandywine put the game away by putting an eight spot on the board one frame later. Jordan DuBois (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) doubled in a pair of runs and Craddock, Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) and Emma McElroy (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston) all added run-scoring singles for the Lions.

RBI singles from Caporale and Mushinski capped the scoring during the fourth inning.

McElroy, Mushinski and Craddock all posted two hits to pace the Lions' offense. Caporale, Rivera and Culbertson each score two runs.

Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) saw her 48-game hitting streak come to an end after working two walks and being hit by a pitch in five at-bats. The 48-game hitting streak is the second-longest in college softball history behind only a 49-game streak from Rebecca Laudino of Florida Southwestern College in 2018-19.

In the circle, April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) recorded the 11^th complete-game shutout of her career. Lewandowski fanned six hitters, while allowing just three hits and one walk in 5.0 innings. She worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the second by striking out back-to-back hitters, but was otherwise not threatened by the Rams' offense.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 5, New England College 3

Brandywine fell behind 2-0 before rallying with five runs during the third and fourth innings to claim its second triumph of the day.

Quinn Rosario (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) led off the third inning with a base hit, stole second and later scored on a throwing error to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Lions recorded three consecutive singles as Mushinski, DuBois and Craddock tallied base hits in succession with Craddock driving in Mushinski to tie the count.

Brandywine took the lead for good one frame later. Sam Gonchar (Brick Township, N.J./Monroe Township) and Bussenger singled and both came around to score on McElroy's double. Mushinski followed with her fifth hit of the day, a run-scoring triple, to put Brandywine on top 5-2.

Mushinski finished a home run shy of the cycle, while Bussenger notched two hits and stole a base.

Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) earned the win after pitching the first four innings. Hurta struck out three and did not allow a hit, while surrendering two earned runs. Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) worked the final three innings as she also fanned three and did not allow an earned run to record the save.

Brandywine is back in action Sunday against Husson (2:00 PM) and Curry (4:15 PM) at the DiamondPlex in Winter Haven.