ERIE, Pa. – Fifth-seeded Penn State Altoona softball was eliminated from the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, when the Lions suffered a pair of losses to top seed Penn State Behrend in a semifinal round best-of-three series.

The Lions (11-13-1) were defeated 8-0 in game one before being handed a 6-1 loss in game two.

Penn State Behrend (26-6) advances to the AMCC Championship series this Saturday, May 15 and will host the winner of today's series between Mount Aloysius College and La Roche University.

Game One: Penn State Behrend 8, Penn State Altoona 0 (Final/5 innings)

Penn State Altoona was unable to capitalize on some early scoring opportunities, and Behrend broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning to build a commanding lead.

Jayde Burge (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) had two of the Lions' four hits in the game, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a triple. Olivia Smith (Martinsburg, PA/Central) was 1-for-2, and Kristen Hewitt (Coalport, PA/Glendale) was 1-for-3.

Casey Reese (Cresson, PA/Penn Cambria) tossed a complete game and took the loss, pitching 4 1/3 innings and striking out two batters along the way.

Hewitt led off the top of the first inning with a single to center, and Makenzie Lukehart (Utahville, PA/Glendale) moved her up to second base with a sacrifice bunt. But the Lions were unable to take advantage of the runner in scoring position, and the frame ended without a score.

The top of the third also got off to a promising start for Penn State Altoona, when Burge led off with a triple to right field. But the run was stranded at third base as the Lions came away emptyhanded.

Behrend got the game's first run across in the bottom half of the third. Angela Dale led off with a double, then scored on an error during the next play to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

Behrend proceeded to expand its run total to seven with a six-run bottom of the fourth. Cami McNany and Samantha Manioci scored on a wild pitch for the inning's first runs, and two batters later, Maria Jones' two-run triple and Marissa Torretti's RBI single made it 6-0. Mackenzie McIntire's RBI double to right-center extended the home team's advantage to seven runs.

Torretti's RBI single to center in the bottom of the fifth ended the game early via the eight-run rule.

Game Two: Penn State Behrend 6, Penn State Altoona 1

Some early miscues by Penn State Altoona helped Behrend establish an early lead, en route to the home team prevailing by five.

Olivia Miller (West Newton, PA/Yough) had a team-high two hits for the Lions, going 2-for-3. Shannon Detwiler (Martinsburg, PA/Central) was 1-for-2 with a walk, Smith went 1-for-3 with a double, and Reese also batted 1-for-3. Brooke Bollman (Bedford, PA/Bedford) notched her team's RBI.

Lukehart started in the circle and received the loss for Penn State Altoona in a complete game effort, allowing three earned runs over six innings. At the plate, she was 1-for-4 and scored her team's lone run.

Behrend jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. A Penn State Altoona error allowed Kylee Bundy to score from second base, and Manioci followed with an RBI single in the next at-bat to plate another unearned run for the home team.

Behrend doubled its lead in the bottom of the second inning. Ashleigh Schmidt scored on another Lions error, and Jones' sacrifice fly to center later in the frame made it 4-0.

Schmidt drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the third to plate another run for her team, increasing the advantage to 5-0. However, with the bases loaded and just one out at that point, Penn State Altoona avoided further damage by getting a groundout and flyout to end the inning.

Penn State Altoona got on the board for the first time in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back singles up the middle by Lukehart and Miller to start the inning put two runners on for the Lions, and after a flyout, Reese's single to center loaded the bases. Bollman followed with a sac fly to right, scoring Lukehart from third to cut Behrend's lead to 5-1.

Behrend got its cushion back to five in the bottom of the sixth, when Manioci's RBI groundout scored Torretti to make it 6-1.

Notes: Smith and Burge were named as Penn State Altoona's representatives on the AMCC All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the games.