Bussenger Sets Hits Record; Brandywine Takes Two At Gwynedd

GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) collected five hits, pushing her career total to 213, as she passed Arianna Segich for the all-time hits lead at Penn State Brandywine on Thursday afternoon during a softball sweep of Gwynedd Mercy. The Lions won game one 6-1 before routing the Griffins 17-1 in game two.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 6, Gwynedd Mercy 1

Bussenger recorded two of Brandywine's 12 hits, stole two bases and scored twice in a 6-1 victory to open the day.

Ava Rodgers (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) was 3-for-4 at the plate with one run batted in, while Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) tallied two hits and drove in two runs.

Bussenger doubled, stole third and scored on Emma McElroy's (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston) single to open the scoring in the first inning. Craddock added a double for a 2-0 Brandywine lead.

McElroy's bases-loaded walk forced in a run in the second before the Lions padded their lead with three markers in the fourth. Bussenger started the fourth inning rally with a leadoff single and came around to score via Kaylee Mushinski's (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) base hit. Craddock roped a triple to right-center field to plate Mushinski and crossed home thanks to Rodgers' base hit to cap the scoring.

April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) worked the first six innings in the circle to earn her sixth win of the spring. She struck out four, while allowing one run on three hits. Cecilia LaGreca (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township) spun a scoreless seventh inning and fanned two Griffins.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 17, Gwynedd Mercy 1

Brandywine piled up a season-high 19 hits, including three from Bussenger, who set the hits mark with a third-inning single during the Lions' game two romp.

Bussenger lined the first pitch she saw to center field during the third inning for the 213^th knock of her career. She passed Arianna Segich, who amassed 212 hits from 2016-19.

All nine starters recorded a hit for Brandywine, including a trio of three-hit efforts and four more Lions with a pair of knocks. Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) was 3-for-4 with five RBI, while McElroy went 3-for-3, scored twice and stole a bag.

Craddock, Mushinski, Rodgers and Marissa Contino (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) all tallied two hits. Mushinski and Craddock both crossed home three times, while Shelby DeCillis (Iselin, N.J./Colonia) knocked in three runs.

Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) earned the win in the circle as she yielded just one run, scattered six hits and struck out one in five innings of work.

Brandywine scored in every inning, including a seven-run first frame, highlighted by back-to-back RBI triples from Mushinski and Craddock and Contino's run-scoring double.

Culbertson delivered three RBI with a single and DeCillis tacked on two more runs with a three-base hit during a five-run third inning. Culbertson added two more runs with a single one frame later.

Brandywine (13-7, 4-0 UEC) is back in action Friday at Maple Zone with a United East Conference doubleheader against Notre Dame of Maryland beginning at noon.