Brandywine Improves to 4-0 With Two Sunday Victories

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Penn State Brandywine softball team continued the best start in program history as the Lions improved to 4-0 with victories over Husson (3-2 in 8 innings) and Curry (15-0 in five innings) on Sunday at The Spring Games.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 3, Husson 2 (8 innings)

Brandywine outlasted Husson, which spent much of the 2024 as a nationally-ranked team and was receiving votes in the most recent NFCA Division III poll, as the Lions walked off with a 3-2 extra-inning victory.

April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) went the distance in the circle for the second-straight day, working all eight innings. She recorded four strikeouts, while allowing just two runs on seven hits. Lewandowski worked around a runner on second base to begin the eighth inning by retiring all three batters she faced in order, allowing Brandywine to walk off with the victory.

Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) began the bottom of the eighth on second base. She wasted no time coming around to score the game-winning run as she stole third and crossed home via throwing error.

The run was the first for Brandywine since the first inning when the Lions plated a pair of markers. Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) and Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) each recorded singles and both came around to score when Jordan DuBois (Southampton, Pa./Seneca) lifted a base hit to left-center field.

Brandywine's offense recorded nine hits, including two-knock efforts from Bussenger and Emma McElroy (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston).

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 15, Curry 0 (5 innings)

A nine-run third inning helped Brandywine rout Curry 15-0 and improve to 4-0.

McElroy led a 15-hit attack from the offense with three knocks and three RBI. She also scored three times, as did Bussenger, who also collected two hits and three runs batted in. Sam Gonchar (Brick Township, N.J./Monroe Township) and Mushinski both notched two hits.

Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) pitched all five innings, tossing a complete-game shutout to earn his second win of the weekend. She fanned three and scattered three hits.

Mushinski's RBI groundout and a sacrifice bunt from Shelby DeCillis (Iselin, N.J./Colonia) provided Brandywine with a 2-0 lead after one frame.

McElroy drove in three runs with two third-inning singles, while Gonchar and Craddock also added run-scoring base hits. Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) notched a run-scoring triple and Bussenger delivered two more runs with a double.

Gonchar, Gigi Duca (Bear, Del./Smyrna) and Quinn Rosario (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) all tallied hits that scored runs as Brandywine piled on four more scores in the fifth.

Following a day off, Brandywine will face Lake Forest (12:30 PM) and Alfred (2:45 PM) on Tuesday in Clermont, Fla.