ASTON, Pa. — The No. 9 seed Cedar Crest College softball team was swept by top-seeded Penn State Brandywine (31-7) during a doubleheader in the United East Conference Championship Tournament Second Round at the Maple Zone, falling 8–0 in the first game and 13–1 in the second.
Game One – Penn State Brandywine 8, Cedar Crest 0 (Five Innings)
The Lions took control early, scoring five runs in the second inning and adding three more in the fourth.
The first inning ended with no runs for either team, but the second inning saw Penn State Brandywine gain momentum after a single by sophomore Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa.), followed by sophomore Jordan DuBois' (Southampton, N.J.) double that brought in the first run. Senior Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa.) and sophomore Emma McElroy (Mountainside, N.J.) added further runs with an RBI double and groundout, respectively. The inning concluded with the Lions leading 5–0 thanks to a double by senior Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J.) and a single by first-year Ava Rodgers (Gloucester City, N.J.).
The Lions extended their lead in the fourth inning, with Bussenger's single and McElroy's RBI triple contributing to another three runs. By the end of the fourth inning, the score stood at 8–0, the eventual final.
Sophomore
Erin Gray (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) pitched a complete game for the Falcons, recording three strikeouts over four innings and taking the loss to bring her record to 12-10.
For Penn State Brandywine, senior April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J.F) shone in the circle, pitching five scoreless innings with no hits allowed and striking out 10 batters, improving her record to 15-2. Bussenger scored two runs and secured two hits with an RBI, while McElroy contributed two RBI and a triple.
Game Two – Penn State Brandywine 13, Cedar Crest 1 (Five Innings)
The Lions dominated the first inning, scoring nine runs, including a run from Bussenger on a throwing error and an RBI double from Mushinski. Cedar Crest was unable to generate any offense, and Penn State Brandywine extended their lead in the second inning with sophomore Shelby DeCillis (Iselin, N.J.) hitting a solo home run. The score was 13–0 by the end of the second inning.
The Falcons finally got on the board in the third inning when junior
Kate Gronkowski (Hanover Township, Pa./Hanover Area Junior Senior) scored following a groundout by first-year
Madacyn Snyder (Wind Gap, Pa./Pen Argyl), bringing the score to 13–1. However, both teams were held scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, concluding the game with a final score of 13-1.
For Cedar Crest, Snyder recorded one hit and drove in a run, while junior
Brooke Trentler (Whiteford, Md./North Harford) added a double. Sophomore
Alexis Acevedo (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) pitched a complete game for the Falcons, but was tagged with the loss after allowing 11 earned runs over four innings.
Junior Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J.) was a standout for the Lions, pitching a complete game with just one earned run on two hits while striking out five. Mushinski led Penn State Brandywine offensively, recording three hits and driving in five runs. McElroy also made a significant impact with two runs scored and two RBI.
The losses end the season for Cedar Crest (17-22 overall).
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