The women’s softball team is a threat in the league — In its inaugural season.
Standing middle of the back in the league at 5-5 in conference play, Brandywine softball has really shown they are a competitive group despite boasting only 11 players and one upperclassman. However, assistant head coach Bobbi Caprice admits that the lack of players has been the biggest obstacle to overcome all season.
“The biggest challenge we have faced all season was numbers,” Caprice said. “We started off the season with 11 players, and our number one pitcher got hurt during spring training.”
Caprice also says other injuries have been problematic throughout the course of the season, but is optimistic that having a “competitive nature” will keep the team in playoff contention.
The loss of freshman starting pitcher Olivia Encarnacion was a blow to the team, according to Caprice. However, freshman captain Julia Allman believes the team was able to unveil another player’s hidden talent.
“We lost a key element from our team,” Allman said of Encarnacion. “But by Cheyanne coming in, we picked up something we didn’t expect to pick up.”
Now starting pitcher Cheyanna Murphy is a former pitcher for township softball years back, but has taken on the role of an outfielder since high school. The sophomore from Chichester has indeed been one of the biggest surprises this season, as she ranks third in the conference in strikeouts.
As it stands now, the team would have to win the rest of their league games in order to make playoffs, something Allman thinks is possible.
“I’m excited because you never know what can happen because each game is different,” said Allman. “We’re trying to get hype and make playoffs. We want to come out and surprise people, and I think we will.”
And surprising they are.
On Sunday, April 14, the team traveled to PSUAC defending champions Penn State Beaver for a double-header. In the first game, Brandywine trailed 8-6 in the final inning. It wasn’t until that last gasp to come back did the Lady Lions kick into full gear and take the lead to seal the deal with a 9-8 upset victory.
But the second of the double-header was a true thriller for the ages.
For the majority of the game, Brandywine struggled to get anything going on offense and made several errors on defense, which resulted in a nine-run deficit late in the game. With the team coming face-to-face with a true pounding (10-1 in the fifth inning), the offense was able to rally and put together three runs, cutting the lead 10-8. However, with two outs and down two runs at the bottom of the seventh inning, one of Brandywine’s finest hitters rose to the occasion.
That’s when freshman second baseman Stacey MacArthur exploded.
MacArthur bombed a grand slam over the fence, which put Brandywine on top for the first time in the final inning of play. MacArthur’s clutch hit helped put the game away, as Brandywine swept the PSUAC defending champions.
With the Lady Lions showing their competitiveness in just its first season of play, Caprice expressed her excitement for next season, as the team looks to build on this year’s production.
“We are looking forward to next year so much,” Caprice said. “The handful of recruits we have will be a big asset to the team. We are looking forward to watching our current players grow in their upcoming years as well as the new additions to the team next year.”
Amanda Congialdi
Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, AMC6079@psu.edu