GREENSBURG, Pa. – Penn State Altoona softball took on Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Pitt-Greensburg on Tuesday afternoon, with the Lions coming away with a split in the doubleheader.

Pitt-Greensburg (7-14-1, 4-4 AMCC) prevailed 9-4 in game one, but Penn State Altoona (6-9-1, 5-7 AMCC) rallied for an 8-7 win in extra innings in game two.

Game One: Pitt-Greensburg 9, Penn State Altoona 4

In a tie game after two, Pitt-Greensburg pulled away, and Penn State Altoona was unable to dig itself out of the hole.

Casey Reese (Cresson, PA/Penn Cambria) went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in for the Lions. She also started in the circle and pitched a complete game, being saddled with the loss.

Olivia Miller (West Newton, PA/Yough) and Kristen Hewitt (Coalport, PA/Glendale) each finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Olivia Smith (Martinsburg, PA/Central) and Shannon Detwiler (Martinsburg, PA/Central) recorded one RBI each.

Detwiler's two-out RBI single to left in the top of the second inning put Penn State Altoona in front 1-0, but DJ Diodato's run-scoring base hit to right with two outs in the bottom half of the inning evened the score at 1-1.

Pitt-Greensburg jumped ahead by scoring two runs in the third, as Haley Liccketto was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Madison Hollis followed with an RBI single. The Bobcats widened their lead with a four-run bottom of the fourth, getting a two-run double from Brittany Dunn and RBI singles by Kacey Weller and Liccketto to make it 7-1.

Penn State Altoona responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, as Reese's two-run single to center and Smith's run-scoring base hit to left trimmed Pitt-Greensburg's lead to 7-4.

But the Bobcats added two more runs to their total in the bottom of the fifth, as Dunn's RBI single and Ashley Noel's RBI groundout put the home team ahead by five, 9-4.

The Lions were unable to generate any more offense, as Pitt-Greensburg's five-run advantage stood up the rest of the way.

Game Two: Penn State Altoona 8, Pitt-Greensburg 7 (Final/8 innings)

Penn State Altoona came back from a 6-3 deficit while taking advantage of nine Pitt-Greensburg errors to win in extra innings.

Makenzie Lukehart (Utahville, PA/Glendale) went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Hannah Harlacher (York, PA/West York) and Jayde Burge (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) were both 2-for-3 with a run scored, with Burge also chipping in an RBI. Smith was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk, and Hewitt went 2-for-5.

Lukehart started at pitcher and went 5 2/3 innings, getting a no decision. Reese took over in the circle and went the rest of the way, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings to record her sixth win of the season.

Pitt-Greensburg got two runs across in the bottom of the first to grab the early lead. Noel's RBI single to center put the home team on the board, and Hannah Corvin's sacrifice fly to center made it 2-0.

But Penn State Altoona answered with three runs in the top of the second to steal the lead away from Pitt-Greensburg. Katie College (Davidsville, PA/Conemaugh Township) reached base on an error and Smith scored on the play to give the Lions their first run. Later in the frame, Burge and Lukehart each hit RBI singles to second base to put Penn State Altoona up 3-2.

The Bobcats reclaimed the lead in the fourth, when Dunn's two RBI double to center and Noel's RBI single to center gave Pitt-Greensburg a 5-3 advantage. Hollis' run-scoring groundout in the fifth extended her team's lead to 6-3.

However, Penn State Altoona was able to respond with a four-run inning in the top half of the sixth to work its way back on top again. Lukehart's two RBI single to center drove in a pair, and she scored during the next play when Miller reached on an outfield error. Another Pitt-Greensburg error allowed Miller to score from second, and the Lions found themselves up 7-6.

The Bobcats tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on Laila Smith's RBI double to center, and after a scoreless seventh inning from both teams, the game advanced to extras.

With Lukehart placed at second base to start the eighth, Miller put down a bunt to move her over to third. Madison Lucas (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) capitalized on the situation by hitting a sac fly to center, scoring Miller to put Penn State Altoona up 8-7.

The Lions held Pitt-Greensburg off of the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth, and Penn State Altoona took game two of the twinbill.

Next up, Penn State Altoona softball will travel to Buffalo, N.Y. this Friday, April 23 to face AMCC opponent Medaille College in a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m.