WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team returned to action on Wednesday, when the Lions were swept in a doubleheader against non-conference opponent Penn College at Elm Park.

Penn State Altoona (6-6) suffered an 8-4 loss in game one after holding a brief early lead, and the Lions lost 6-2 in game two as Penn College (8-4) sealed the sweep.

Game One: Penn College 8, Penn State Altoona 4

Penn State Altoona nabbed an early lead, putting four runs on the board in the top of the first. But Penn College controlled things the rest of the way to finish with a four-run victory in game one.

Madison Lucas (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) was 1-for-2 with a double, two runs batted in, a run scored, and a walk, and Cameryn Feathers (Martinsburg, PA/Central) went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.

Brooke Colledge (Everett, PA/Everett), Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain), Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County), and Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) also had one hit apiece for the Lions.

Fisher started in the pitching circle and was shouldered with the loss after pitching a complete game.

Penn State Altoona started strong, scoring four runs in the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Lucas drove in the game's first runs on a double, and two more runs came across for the Lions to make it 4-0.

Penn College got a run back in the bottom of the first on Jordan Specht's RBI single, and the Wildcats leapt ahead in the third by scoring four runs, including the go-ahead RBI single from Ivvy Morder.

The home team increased its lead to 7-4 in the fourth, as RBI base hits by Specht and Mackenzie Weaver expanded the Wildcats' advantage to three runs. Penn College made it 8-4 on a solo home run by Weaver in the sixth.

Game Two: Penn College 6, Penn State Altoona 2

The Wildcats held a 4-0 lead through five innings and limited Penn State Altoona to two runs by the game's end, as Penn College secured the doubleheader sweep with a four-run win.

Fisher was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a run scored, while Colledge and Hoppel were each 1-for-3 with an RBI. Feathers and Maynard also collected one hit each for the Lions.

In the circle, Madison Peters (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) tossed a complete game and took the loss.

Penn College made it 1-0 in the bottom of the first on Weaver's RBI single, and Hailey DeBrody's two-run home run in the third increased the Wildcats' lead to 3-0. DeBrody's sacrifice fly upped the home team's lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning.

Penn State Altoona cut its deficit in half in the top of the sixth. Fisher led off with a double, then scored on Colledge's RBI single. Feathers followed that with a base hit to put two runners aboard, and Hoppel's RBI single made the score 4-2. But Penn College was able to get a double play and a groundout to end the Lions' threat and maintain the lead.

The Wildcats added two runs to their total in the next half inning, when Specht's two-run single made it 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth.

Penn State Altoona softball returns to action this weekend for its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheader of the season, as well as the Lions' first home games of the year. Penn State Altoona will host Alfred State College for a pair on Sunday, April 2 at 1 p.m. at Stewart Athletic Field.

The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 1, but it was postponed and rescheduled to Sunday due to the expectation of inclement weather and wet field conditions.