Brandywine Opens United East Play With Sweep Of Berks

READING, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine put an end to Penn State Berks' 18-game conference winning streak with an 8-4 victory in game one, while Madie Culberson's (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) two-home run, five-RBI performance powered Brandywine to a 5-2 triumph in game two as the teams opened United East Conference softball play Saturday afternoon.

Game One: Penn State Brandywine 8, Penn State Berks 4

Brandywine handed Berks its first conference loss since April 24, 2024 after the hosts went undefeated during the regular season last year as the Lions' offense piled up eight runs on 13 hits.

Ava Craddock (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) paced the offense with three hits and three runs batted in, while Emma McElroy (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston), Olivia Bowers (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) and Shelby DeCillis (Iselin, N.J./Colonia) all produced two hits. Bowers, McElroy and Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) all scored two runs, while McElroy collected a pair of RBI.

McElroy doubled in Bussenger and scored on Craddock's single as Brandywine opened the scoring two first inning runs.

Berks got a run back in the second, but Craddock's bases-loaded, two-out single plated two runs for the Lions in the fourth. Bowers reached via error and scored on Bussenger's ground ball one frame later to make the count 5-1.

The Lions pushed the margin to 8-1 in the top of the seventh after tacking on three more scores. Bowers led off with a base hit and crossed home thanks to Mila Gorres' (Chesterfield, Va./Cosby) single, while McElroy and Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) recorded back-to-back run-scoring hits.

Berks put a rally together during the bottom of the frame, scoring three times on five hits off April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton), but Lewandowski got a two-out pop up to end any further threat.

Lewandowski pitched all seven innings to earn her fourth win of the season. She recorded a pair of strikeouts, while limiting Berks to four runs.

Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 5, Penn State Berks 2

Culbertson accounted for all five runs in game two, including a pair of two-run home runs for the eighth two-home run game in program history.

Her first two-run shot broke a scoreless stalemate in the fourth inning. Berks hit a two-run home run of its own to tie the count in the fifth, but after DeCillis led off the sixth inning with a double, Culbertson put Brandywine back on top with her second long ball of the game.

Culberton tacked on a run-scoring double in the seventh to finish the day with three hits and five RBI in four at-bats. DeCillis added two more knocks, while Mushinski also collected two hits in game two. McElroy and Bussenger both singled and stole a base.

Isabella Hurta (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) went the distance in the circle to even her record at 4-4 on the spring. She struck out the side in the first inning and fanned five hitters overall, while limiting Berks to two runs on five hits.

Brandywine (9-7, 2-0 UEC) plays at home for the first time since March 1 on Wednesday when the Lions host Penn State Abington at 3:00 PM.