Brandywine Sweeps Through Harrisburg To Open United East Play

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine outscored Penn State Harrisburg 13-2 during the Lions' first-ever United East Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, sweeping two games from Harrisburg. Brandywine took the opener 6-2 and rolled to a 7-0 triumph during game two.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 6, Penn State Harrisburg 2

A four-run seventh inning was the difference as Brandywine pulled away late to win game one by a 6-2 count.

Harrisburg pitcher Kylee Miller retired the first two Brandywine batters in the seventh, but the Lions erupted for six-straight, two-out singles to put four runs on the board. Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) legged out an infield single to get the rally started and moved to third on Emma McElroy's (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston) base hit. Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) followed with a single to plate Bussenger with the go-ahead run. Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) pushed McElroy across the plate to make the count 4-2 and Shelby DeCillis (Iselin, N.J./Colonia) added a run-scoring base hit before Naya Rivera (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) capped the scoring with a single through the middle of the infield.

The Lions trailed 2-1 entering the fifth inning, but Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) singled and scored on Quinn Rosario's (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) double to tie the count 2-2.

Bussenger led the Lions at the plate with three hits in four at-bats, while scoring two runs and stealing a pair of bases. She led off the game with a base hit, stole second and scored on Craddock's base hit to give the Lions an early 1-0 edge.

Mushinski and Craddock both tallied two hits in four plate appearances.

April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) worked the first six innings in the circle, allowing two runs on five hits. She struck out six to up her record to 7-2 this spring. Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) closed the door in the seventh.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 7, Penn State Harrisburg 0

Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) spun her second shutout in five days as Brandywine rolled in the nightcap by a 7-0 score.

Hurta earned her third win of the week and sixth overall this season after fanning four and allowing just four hits. Two of the first four Harrisburg batters reached base during the first inning, but Hurta retired the next 15 batters she faced and limited the hosts to just five baserunners overall during 7.0 innings in the circle.

Culbertson's RBI double plated DeCillis to get the scoring started in the second before Brandywine busted the game open with four third-inning markers.

Rosario and Bussenger started the third with back-to-back doubles and both came around to score on McElroy's two-base hit. Mushinski recorded Brandywine's fourth-straight double to add another run and later scored on Culbertson's sacrifice fly to give the Lions a 5-0 edge.

An error allowed Rosario to score before McElroy capped the scoring with a RBI single during a two-run fourth inning.

McElroy was 2-for-4 with three RBI at the plate, while Rosario added two hits and scored twice and Bussenger crossed home with two runs. Six of Brandywine's eight hits went for extra bases.

Brandywine (13-5, 2-0 United East) continues conference play Wednesday at Cairn beginning at 3:00 PM.