Eagles Sweep Lions in Doubleheader
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team wrapped up its midweek homestand on Thursday afternoon, hosting regional non-conference opponent Juniata College for a doubleheader at Stewart Athletic Field.
Juniata (11-9) powered its way to a 9-1 win in game one, and the Eagles scored a go-ahead run late in game two to serve Penn State Altoona (7-9) a 4-3 loss.
Game One: Juniata 9, Penn State Altoona 1 (Final/6 innings)
Juniata posted a trio of three-run innings to sink Penn State Altoona in game one.
Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) and Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) both went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Lions.
Brooke Colledge (Everett, PA/Everett) was 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, a walk, and a stolen base, and Cameryn Feathers (Martinsburg, PA/Central) finished 1-for-2 with a run batted in and a walk. Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) also had a hit for the Lions.
Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) started in the pitching circle for Penn State Altoona and tossed a complete game in the loss.
Juniata broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third, using Alison Superka's two-run double and Jessie Hunt's RBI single to make it 3-0. The Eagles doubled their lead in the fifth on Hunt's two-run single and Emily Eutsey's RBI base hit.
Penn State Altoona got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth inning, stringing three hits together with two outs. Colledge doubled to left, and Hoppel singled up the middle to put runners at the corners. Feathers followed with a base hit to center, driving in Colledge to make it 6-1.
But Juniata scored three more runs in the top of the sixth, as Hunt's RBI double and Caleigh Love's two-run home run extended the visitors' lead to 9-1. Penn State Altoona was held scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, and the game ended an inning early via the eight-run rule.
Game Two: Penn State Altoona 4, Juniata 3
Penn State Altoona grabbed an early lead in game two, then battled back to tie the game after Juniata jumped ahead. But the Eagles scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh to seal the doubleheader sweep.
Three Penn State Altoona hitters finished with a two-hit game, as Feathers, Storm, and Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) were each 2-for-3 with a run scored. Madison Peters (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) recorded two RBI, while Madison Lucas (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) had one.
Peters got the nod at pitcher for game two and went the distance, yielding three earned runs over seven innings in the loss.
In the bottom of the second inning, Peters helped her own cause with a key two-out hit. Lauck and Storm each reached on singles, and with two down, Peters' base hit into left field drove both runners home to put the Lions in front, 2-0.
Penn State Altoona held its lead through five innings, limiting Juniata to just three base runners in that span. But the Eagles broke through with a three-run top of the sixth to surge into the lead, as Hunt, Love, and Ruthie Betts each contributed RBI singles to put Juniata up 3-2.
Penn State Altoona pulled together to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Feathers started the frame with an infield single to third, then moved up to second on the third baseman's throwing error during the play. Lauck's base hit to left put runners and first and third, and Lucas delivered a sacrifice fly to center that scored Feathers, tying the score at 3-3.
But Juniata responded with the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Lauren Fisher led off with a single, then advanced to third on a sac bunt. An outfield error allowed Fisher to score in the next at-bat, giving the Eagles a 4-3 advantage.
Penn State Altoona went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, as the Lions suffered a tight game-two loss.
Penn State Altoona softball returns to action next Tuesday, April 11, when the Lions will travel to play USCAA opponent Penn State Schuylkill in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
