CLAYSBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team opened its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schedule with a pair of lopsided wins on Sunday afternoon, when the Lions hosted Alfred State College for a doubleheader at Claysburg-Kimmel High School.

Penn State Altoona (9-8, 2-0 AMCC) powered past Alfred State (5-9, 0-2 AMCC) by a score of 11-3 in game one, then blanked the Pioneers 9-0 in game two. Both games ended early via the eight-run rule, with the Lions leading by eight or more runs through five innings of each contest.

Game One: Penn State Altoona 11, Alfred State 3 (Final/5 innings)

Penn State Altoona used a steady dose of offense to win its first AMCC game of the season, plating 11 runs on 11 hits in five innings. The Lions scored six in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the eight-run rule into effect, ending the game early.

Three Lion batters finished with two hits apiece. Brooke Colledge (Everett, PA/Everett) was 2-for-2 with her first home run of the season, three runs batted in, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and a walk. Cameryn Feathers (Martinsburg, PA/Central) went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, a run scored, and a walk, and Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI.

Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) and Madison Sitarek (Sykesville, MD/Century) had two RBI apiece, and Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) had one RBI.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) tossed a complete game in the pitching circle to record her sixth win of the season. The right-hander went five innings, limiting Alfred State to three runs while striking out six batters.

Penn State Altoona scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first, when Colledge laced a line-drive home run down the left-field line to put her team on the board. Colledge tacked two more runs on to her team's total in the second, driving in a pair on a two-out base hit into center field.

Alfred State scored a run in the top of the third, when Lauryn Engle's two-out RBI single made it 3-1.

But Penn State Altoona answered with two more runs in the bottom half of the third, when Sitarek's two-out, two-run single through the right side extended the Lions' lead to 5-1.

The Pioneers cut their deficit to two in the top of the fourth on Aubrey Farrell's two-run single up the middle with two outs, making it 5-3.

But Penn State Altoona kept Alfred State off of the scoreboard the rest of the way, and the Lions plated six runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game via the eight-run rule, scoring all six with two outs. Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) and Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) each scored on an infield error to make it 7-3, after Lauck singled and Maynard doubled earlier in the inning. Fisher followed with an RBI triple to right, scoring Jordan Krawcion (Johnstown, PA/Central Cambria). One batter later, Hoppel delivered a two-run single up the middle, and Storm's RBI infield hit to third ended the game in victory for Penn State Altoona by a score of 11-3.

Game Two: Penn State Altoona 9, Alfred State 0 (Final/5 innings)

Penn State Altoona's bats stayed hot in the second game, as the Lions produced nine runs on 14 hits. The Lions' pitching and error-free defense limited Alfred State to just two hits while holding the Pioneers scoreless.

Four Penn State Altoona hitters had a three-hit game, with all of them finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.

Fisher achieved her 100th career hit, going 3-for-3 with her first home run of the season, three runs scored, and an RBI. Feathers was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base, and Storm finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Lauck was 3-for-3 with a game-high four RBI.

Hoppel also had a multi-hit game for the Lions, going 2-for-3 with her first home run of the year, three RBI, and two runs scored.

In the circle, Brianna Bone (Morrisdale, PA/West Branch) picked up her first win of the season and first NCAA victory in a complete-game effort. Over five innings, the righty allowed just two hits and issued no walks while notching three strikeouts.

Penn State Altoona wasted little time taking the lead, getting four runs across in the bottom of the first. Fisher led off the frame with an infield hit, moved up to second on a wild pitch, and scored when Hoppel placed an RBI base hit into left field. After a Feathers single, Storm's RBI hit to right put the Lions up 2-0. Storm stole second to put two runners in scoring position, and Lauck drove both in her with two-run single to center, increasing Penn State Altoona's lead to 4-0.

The Lions doubled their lead in the second inning. Fisher again led off with a hit, dropping a single inside the right-field line. One batter later, Hoppel laced a line-drive homer over the left-center fence to give Penn State Altoona a 6-0 advantage. After that, Feathers and Storm both reached on infield singles to shortstop, and Lauck upped the Lions' lead to 8-0 with another two-run single to center.

Penn State Altoona hit its third long ball of the day in the bottom of the third, when Fisher's solo shot to left-center boosted the Lions' lead to 9-0.

The home team held its lead for the next two innings, dealing Alfred State another run-rule loss.

Penn State Altoona softball travels for its next games, hitting the road on Tuesday, April 9, to face AMCC opponent Carlow University in a doubleheader starting at 7 p.m. Those games will be played at West Field in Munhall, Pa.