WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team started its 2025 season on Monday afternoon, traveling to face non-conference opponent Waynesburg University in a doubleheader.

The Lions (0-2) suffered a pair of losses on the day, going down 3-2 in game one before Waynesburg (2-0) posted a lopsided 14-0 victory in game two.

Game One: Waynesburg 3, Penn State Altoona 2

After falling into a 2-0 hole after the first inning, Penn State Altoona worked its way back and eventually tied the game in the sixth. But Waynesburg scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the sixth and held on to defeat the Lions by one.

Allison Beeman (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Lauren Davidson (Clearfield, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) finished 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk, and Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) was 1-for-3.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) made the start in the pitching circle and tossed a complete game. In six innings, the right-hander yielded two earned runs, scattered nine hits and walked none, and struck out a pair.

Waynesburg plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning to establish an early lead. With two outs, back-to-back RBI doubles to left center from Kaitlyn Jagielski and Brynn Charnesky gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 advantage.

Penn State Altoona answered in the next half inning to cut its deficit in half. Storm and Davidson drew walks to start the frame, and Beeman followed with a run-scoring double down the right field line to make it 2-1. But Waynesburg prevented any further damage, getting three strikeouts to end the Lions' threat.

The Yellow Jackets held their 2-1 lead until the top of the sixth, when Penn State Altoona used three straight hits with two outs to tie the game. With two away, Lauck singled to right to keep the inning alive for the Lions. After a Storm single to left put two aboard, Davidson delivered a base hit to center that plated pinch runner Jillian Taylor (Irvona, PA/Glendale) to knot the score at 2-2.

But Waynesburg responded by reclaiming the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Kassidy Trimble led off the inning by reaching safely on a throwing error, and she stole second and moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases on a bunt single and a fielder's choice, and after a pop-up made it two outs, a wild pitch allowed Trimble to score from third, putting the home team back in front, 3-2.

Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) led off the top of the seventh by drawing a walk, but Waynesburg induced a double play and a groundout to end the inning and defeat Penn State Altoona by one.

Game Two: Waynesburg 14, Penn State Altoona 0 (Final/5 innings)

Waynesburg won a victory by run rule in game two of the doubleheader. After a scoreless first inning, the Yellow Jackets put nine runs in the board in the bottom of the second and never looked back, ultimately ending the game in their favor after five innings.

Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) was 1-for-2 with a double, and Lauck also finished 1-for-2 at the plate.

Madison Kennedy (Williamsburg, PA/Central) took the ball in the pitching circle for game two and was saddled with the loss after going 1 2/3 innings. Sidney Nihart (Ashville, PA/Cambria Heights) pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, and Maynard also pitched an inning.

Waynesburg scored the game's first runs in the bottom of the second. Trimble's RBI single put the home team on the board before Meysa Heitmann's two-run homer made it 3-0. The Yellow Jackets tacked six more runs on to their total and carried a 9-0 advantage into the third.

Breanna Rice's RBI single in the third set Waynesburg's lead at 10-0, and the Yellow Jackets scored four more runs in the fourth to make it 14-0. The home team held Penn State Altoona scoreless in the top of the fifth, activating the run rule and closing the game out with a 14-0 final score.

Now, the Penn State Altoona softball team will prepare for its annual spring break trip. This year, the Lions will head to the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area to compete in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic from March 8-14. Penn State Altoona's first games of the trip are Saturday, March 8, at the North Myrtle Beach Complex in Little River, S.C., where the Lions will face off against Baruch College and Kenyon College starting at 9 a.m.

Scheduling Note: The home scrimmage against Penn Highlands Community College, which was scheduled for this Friday, February 28, has been canceled.