by McKenzie Quirin

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team continued on the road Saturday, when the Lions were dealt a sweep in a doubleheader with Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Penn State Behrend at Behrend Field.

Penn State Behrend (22-8, 10-0 AMCC) posted a 5-2 victory in game one, then dealt Penn State Altoona (13-14, 6-6 AMCC) a 13-5 loss in game two of a doubleheader that was designated as the AMCC Games of the Week.

Game One: Penn State Behrend 5, Penn State Altoona 2

Although the Lions trailed by three runs after three innings, they managed to cut Behrend's lead to 3-2 in the fourth. But Behrend kept Penn State Altoona off the scoreboard the rest of the way while earning two late runs themselves in the fifth and sixth innings to take game one.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) spun a complete game in the pitching circle but was saddled with the loss. Over six innings, she allowed four earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out one.

Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) was 1-for-4 with a triple and a run scored, and Cameryn Feathers (Martinsburg, PA/Central) hit 1-for-3 with a run scored. Brooke Colledge (Everett, PA/Everett) went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) was 1-for-3 with a stolen base.

Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) and Nau each earned a hit in their three at bats.

Behrend drew first blood in the bottom of the third. Sierra Williams tripled to right center, and Alexia Brown singled to bring in Williams with no outs. Behrend kept their momentum going as they scored two more runs to end the third inning up 3-0. Brown scored on Maria Jones' sacrifice fly to center field, and in the next at-bat, Jocelyn McNany singled down the left-field line to score Britney Shaw.

In the top of the fourth, Colledge singled to left field, which allowed Fisher to score after she tripled to right center in the inning's first at-bat. Penn State Altoona cut Behrend's lead to 3-2 later in the inning, when Feathers scored on a Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) sac fly to center.

But Behrend added a run in the fifth on a McNany sac fly to left and another in the sixth on Williams' RBI double to right center.

Game Two: Penn State Behrend 13, Penn State Altoona 5 (Final/5 innings)

Penn State Altoona scored first when it got two runs across in the top of the first inning, and the Lions added three more runs in the top of the second. But Behrend scored 13 runs across five innings, and after holding Penn State Altoona scoreless the rest of the way, the home team ended the game early via the eight-run rule.

Fisher went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Feathers also went 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI. Colledge finished game two going 1-for-3 with two runs, and Brianna Bone (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) went 1-for-2 with a run. Lauck also finished with a hit for the Lions.

Bone started at pitcher, going one inning while allowing three earned runs to ultimately take the loss. Nau entered in relief and pitched the next 1 1/3 innings, and Maynard finished the game by tossing 2 1/3 innings and allowing one run.

Penn State Altoona seized a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first inning. Fisher scored on Feathers' single up the middle, with Colledge advancing to third on the play. Colledge scored quickly after, taking advantage of a throw down to second base on a steal attempt to come home and make it 2-0.

Behrend got on the scoreboard for five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Meghan Petitte's solo home run cut their deficit to 2-1, and a Williams three-run double and Athena Iverson RBI single gave the home team a 5-2 advantage.

Penn State Altoona came back to tie the score in the top of the second. Bone and Fisher each singled, and a Behrend error with two outs loaded the bases. Feathers doubled to center, bringing all three runs home to even the score at 5-5.

But Behrend reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second on McNany's two-run homer to center field.

The bottom of the third inning saw five runs for Behrend as they continued to ride their momentum. Shaw's two-run double and McNany's RBI single made it 10-5, before Shaw scored on a wild pitch and McNany came home on a stolen base attempt to make it 12-5.

Behrend ended the game early in the bottom of the fifth, when Pettite's RBI double down the left-field line gave the home team a game-ending, eight-run advantage, 13-5.

Penn State Altoona softball team returns home to Stewart Athletic Field to face off in a doubleheader against AMCC opponent Mount Aloysius College on Tuesday, April 23, at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.