DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – Freshman Faith Sleva hit a pair of home runs, but the Delaware Valley University softball team suffered its third consecutive double header sweep at home against Penn Sate Bradywine in non-conference action Tuesday night. The Lions won game one, 15-6, and took the nightcap, 4-2.
The Aggies fell to 6-12 overall while Penn State Brandywine won its eighth straight game and improved to .500 at 11-11.
The Lions led 5-0 after two innings of play with four hits on the board and one unearned run. Alyssa Szpindor had the big blow in the bottom of the second with a two-out, bases-clearing double that drove in three runs.
DelVal countered with three runs in the third to pull within two. Maddy O'Donohue led off the inning with a double and came around to score after consecutive wild pitches. After Jamie Stefani worked a walk, Sleva sent a towering shot to left field that carried over the fence to make it 5-3.
Each team registered one hit a piece through the next two frames before Penn State Brandywine added to its advantage with a pair of runs in the sixth and an eight-spot in the top of the seventh to get out to a 15-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. The big seventh frame came on seven hits and two errors and all of the runs were unearned after a two-out error by the Aggies.
DelVal got three runs on three hits and two errors in its final at-bat for the 15-6 final. O'Donohue went 2-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored, and Sleva was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in as the Aggies had eight hits as a team. Olivia Monismith started the opener and gave up 15 hits and four earned runs with four walks and one strikeout.
Five different Nittany Lions had multi-hit games led by three hits apiece from Arianna Segich and Maddie Malfara. Segich added a walk, three RBIs, and came around to score four times. Cara Fabiano earned her sixth win of the year with five innings pitched, five hits allowed, three runs against, three walks, and five strike outs.
In the nightcap, DelVal surrendered an unearned run in the top of the first but Sleva got it right back in the bottom of the frame with a line drive shot over the left field fence for her second home run of the day to make it 1-1.
The two squads combined for just three hits and no runs over the next three innings of play to keep the game knotted at one after four.
In the top of the fifth, Penn State Brandywine scored three runs on two hits and two DelVal errors to take a 4-1 lead.
In the sixth inning, Sleva drove in Monismith with a two-out single to make it 4-2, but the Nittany Lions got a fly ball to right field to end the threat as the Aggies left the bases loaded. DelVal had one more chance to extend the game in the bottom of the seventh with runners on first and second and one out, but a pair of fly balls sealed the 4-2 win for Penn State Brandywine.
The Aggies mustered six hits in game two with Sleva and Stefani picking up two each. Monismith and Caitlin Stoner rounded out the stat sheet with one hit each. Stefani became the program's all-time leader in pitching appearances with her 80th game as she got the start in the circle and pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts. She allowed one earned run and seven hits with two walks.
The Nittany Lions were led by a 3-for-4 effort from Alyssa Sullivan who also picked up an RBI. Taylor Baron earned her first win of the season with two earned runs allowed on six hits, one walk, and two punch outs.
The Aggies will travel to take on Immaculata University on Thursday at 3 p.m.
