Caserta Wins Game No. 300 In Sweep

IMMACULATA, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine Head Softball Coach Mark Caserta won the 300^th game of his career during the Lions' doubleheader sweep at Immaculata on Wednesday afternoon. Brandywine won by scores of 7-1 and 9-5.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 7, Immaculata 1

Caserta earned the 300^th victory of his 12-year career during the opening game of the doubleheader. He now owns a 301-141-1 record as the only head coach in the history of Brandywine softball. Caserta's resume includes nine-straight conference championships and two consecutive Small College World Series titles in 2023 and 2024. With 29 victories this spring, Brandywine will likely record its fourth-straight season of 30-plus wins under Caserta's direction.

Caserta is the second 300-game winner in Brandywine Athletics history, joining current women's basketball coach Larry Johnson, who has won 305 games with the Lions.

Brandywine plated three first-inning runs and scored during its final three at-bats to pull away with a 7-1 victory in the opener.

The Lions pushed three runs across without needing a hit during the first inning. Brandywine took advantage of three walks and an error as Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor), Emma McElroy (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston) and Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) were all issued a free pass and later came around to score.

Brandywine held a 3-1 edge in the fifth inning when Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) padded the lead with a two-run home run, her third of the season.

The Lions added two more runs as Jordan DuBois (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) walked and scored on McElroy's sacrifice fly in the sixth and Craddock started the final frame with a double and crossed home via Shelby DeCillis' (Iselin, N.J./Colonia) base hit.

Mushinski posted three RBI and DeCillis drove in a pair, while Craddock and McElroy both scored twice. McElroy also stole three bases and Bussenger notched a pair of steals.

April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) limited Immaculata to one run and scattered nine hits in 5.0 innings in the circle to up her record to 15-3. Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Regional) worked the final two frames, recording two strikeouts.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 9, Immaculata 5

Brandywine scored the final five runs to win for the 13^th time in 14 road games this spring.

Sam Gonchar's (Brick Township, N.J./Monroe Township) leadoff home run, the first of her college career, started a three-run third inning for the Lions. After Bussenger singled and swiped second, she came around to score on McElroy's single. Two batters later, Craddock singled in McElroy for a 3-0 Brandywine lead.

The Mighty Macs scored four times on four hits during the bottom of the frame to take the lead, but Brandywine quickly tied the count at 4-4 when DuBois led off the fourth inning with a double and crossed home via wild pitch.

Immaculata again took a one-run edge; however, Madie Culberton's (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) RBI triple knotted the count in the fifth.

A wild pitch allowed Naya Rivera (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) to score the go-ahead run one inning later and Mushinski followed with a two-out, run-scoring double to make the margin 7-5. Bussenger singled in Culbertson and McElroy worked a bases-loaded walk to tack on two more scored in the seventh inning.

Bussenger notched a team-high three hits, scored two runs and stole a bag, while McElroy, Culbertson, Craddock and DuBois all notched two hits.

Kylie Ferris (Hazlet, N.J./St. John Vianney) improved to 4-0 in the circle. She pitched the first 5.0 innings, striking out five, while allowing five runs and five hits. Hurta picked up her second save of the season after tossing a pair of hitless frames in relief.

Brandywine (29-7, 13-1 UEC) closes out the regular season on Thursday against Keystone at 3:00 PM.