Brandywine Heights falls in semi

Brandywine Heights’ quest to repeat as District 3 champions came to an end on Wednesday night.

The top-seeded Bullets fell to No. 4 seed Upper Dauphin 7-2 in a District 3 Class 2A semifinal at Lyons Field, bringing their season to an end.

“Not one of them quit,” Brandywine coach Don Roach said about his players. “Every one of them did the best they could.”

The Bullets struggled to contain a potent Upper Dauphin offense, which took a commanding lead with two big innings.

Trailing 1-0, the Trojans scored three runs in the third inning. After a basesloaded walk, third baseman Shelby Klinger hit a two-run double, allowing left fielder Ashton Schreffler and pitcher Maddin Grow to score to make it 3-1.

Upper Dauphin (138) added to its lead in the fourth, scoring four runs. The Trojans scored with small ball, and took advantage of a bases-loaded walk as well as an error to go up 7-2.

“We just didn’t put enough plays together to make things really meaningful,” Roach said. “Every pitch matters.”

The Bullets opened the scoring in the first inning. Pitcher Meghann Schuster hit a triple and scored on an groundout by third baseman Elyse Stufflet.

Brandywine Heights (176) scored its only other run in the third inning, as a groundout by shortstop Aubrey Reinert drove in second baseman Allyssa Bortz.

Trailing 7-2 over the final 3.5 innings, the Bullets had several players reach base but were unable to cut into Upper Dauphins’ lead.

“If we were down, we’re not going to go out without a fight,” Schuster said. “We fought until the end.”

Schuster started in the circle for the Bullets. She allowed seven runs and was ultimately tabbed with the loss.

“Once a Bullet, forever a Bullet,” she said. “Fight till the end.”

The loss marked the final high school game for Schuster and her four senior teammates: Katelyn DeLong, A’Nayah Jones, Madison Miller and Jadyn Richards. The group helped lead Brandywine Heights to three district and two state playoff appearances in three seasons.