NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Penn State Altoona softball team split its two games in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic on Thursday, when the Lions earned a win over William Peace University before losing to Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham at the Central Park Complex.

Penn State Altoona (5-5) posted a 6-4 victory over William Peace to start the day, before suffering a 5-2 loss to FDU-Florham in game two.

Game One: Penn State Altoona 6, William Peace 4

Penn State Altoona began its Thursday with a two-run victory over William Peace (10-5). Four different Lion batters finished with a two-hit performance.

Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two walks, and Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) was also 2-for-4.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) registered her fourth win of the season in a complete-game effort as the starting pitcher. Over seven innings, she allowed four runs and struck out a pair of William Peace batters.

Hoppel's RBI double to right center opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, and Madison Kennedy's (Williamsburg, PA/Central) fielder's choice one batter later plated a run to make it 2-0. Fisher's RBI single to center in the second inning extended Penn State Altoona's lead to 3-0.

William Peace scored three in the third to tie the score, 3-3, but Penn State Altoona worked back in front in the fifth inning, helped by a two-out error by the Pacers. Storm led off the frame with a base hit, and she came around to later score on an infield error to put the Lions back on top, 4-3.

Hoppel's two-run double in the sixth added to the Penn State Altoona lead, and despite William Peace picking up a run in the bottom of the seventh, the Lions secured a victory in their first game of the day.

Game Two: FDU-Florham 5, Penn State Altoona 2

The Lions overcame an early deficit in their second game of the day, and Penn State Altoona led 2-1 through five innings. But FDU-Florham (6-4) scored two in the sixth, then two more in the seventh to finish with a three-run win over the Lions.

The Lions were limited to five hits in the loss. Storm was 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, and Hoppel went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Fisher was 1-for-3 with a run, and Lauck also batted 1-for-3. Allison Beeman (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) had a pinch-hit single.

Sidney Nihart (Ashville, PA/Cambria Heights) made a strong start in the pitching circle and finished with a no decision, after she limited the Devils to just three hits and one run. Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) tossed 1 1/3 innings in relief and gave up a run, and Kennedy was saddled with the loss after pitching the next 1 2/3 innings and allowing three unearned runs.

FDU-Florham scored the first run of the contest in the top of the second inning, but Penn State Altoona struck back with a pair in the bottom of the third, thanks to a two-out rally. With two down, Fisher singled into left field, and Storm followed with an RBI double to left center to tie the score. After a throwing error allowed Storm to move up to third base, Hoppel's RBI single to center gave the Lions a 2-1 advantage.

But FDU-Florham maneuvered back on top in the sixth with two runs, then established a 5-2 lead after scoring two more in the seventh. The Devils closed the game out and handed the Lions a three-run loss.

Penn State Altoona heads into its final day in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic tomorrow, Friday, March 14, when it takes on SUNY-Canton and the Mississippi University for Women at the North Myrtle Beach Complex in Little River. The Lions play Canton at 1 p.m., then MUW at 3 p.m.