ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona baseball team faced a 4-1 deficit after six innings in its home opener at Stewart Athletic Field on Tuesday afternoon, but the Lions dug out of their hole to defeat Hobart College 8-5.

Jimmy Mento (Corapeake, NC/Gates County) had a two-home run game to help power Penn State Altoona's (5-7) comeback victory. The Lions put five runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh to take their first lead of the day, 6-4, before adding two insurance runs in the eighth and ultimately defeating Hobart (5-7) by three.

Mento finished his day with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, hitting his first two home runs as a member of the Penn State Altoona baseball team while finishing with four runs batted in, two runs scored, and a stolen base.

Aidan Donovan (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) and Alex Hlivia (Pennsylvania Furnace, PA/State College) were both 1-for-2 with the bats. Donovan notched an RBI, and Hlivia finished with three runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base.

Tyreke Green (Altoona, PA/Altoona) was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Jake Hillard (State College, PA/State College) and Jonathan Rauch (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) were each 1-or-4, with Rauch also recording an RBI.

Eric Seick (Mount Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic) started on the mound for Penn State Altoona and finished with a no decision, going six innings and yielding four runs with one strikeout. Tristin Lockett (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) earned his first win of the season in relief, pitching two innings and allowing one run while striking out a pair. Corey Chamberlain (Claysburg, PA/Claysburg-Kimmel) picked up his third save of the season, tossing the ninth inning and striking out two batters.

Hobart scored in the top of the first inning, getting a two-out RBI single to center from Will Jones to make it 1-0. The visitors increased their lead to 3-0 in the fourth, when Sean Garvin's RBI single to center and Connor O'Neil's run-scoring fielder's choice allowed the Statesmen to build a three-run advantage.

Penn State Altoona got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Hlivia reached base when he was hit by a pitch with one out, and he stole second in the next at-bat to move into scoring position. With two outs, Donovan delivered an RBI single up the middle to trim the Hobart lead to two, 3-1.

Hobart got that run back in the next half inning, when Jones led off with a double and later scored on Garvin's groundout to shortstop to give the Statesmen a 4-1 lead in the top of the sixth.

But Penn State Altoona broke through with a five-run bottom of the seventh to establish its first lead of the game. After Hlivia led off the frame with a base hit to center, Mento sent a pitch over the right-field fence for his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that narrowed the Lions' deficit to one, 4-3. Later in the inning, Green's RBI single tied the score at 4-4, and Grayson McClain (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) scored on a wild pitch for Penn State Altoona's go-ahead run. Rauch followed with an RBI single to give the Lions a 6-4 advantage.

Mento padded the Lions' lead in the eighth. With one out, Hlivia drew a walk, and Mento followed by driving a home run to left field to increase Penn State Altoona's advantage to four, 8-4.

Hobart got a run back in the top of the ninth on Ty Gallagher's RBI groundout, but Penn State Altoona remained in front and finished with a three-run victory.

Penn State Altoona baseball returns to action tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20, with a home doubleheader against another non-conference opponent, Wilson College. Game one is slated to start at 1 p.m.