HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Penn State Altoona baseball team got its 2026 schedule underway on the road Saturday, when the Lions lost both ends of a doubleheader with non-conference opponent Eastern Mennonite University.

Penn State Altoona (0-2) fell behind early in game one, en route to a 12-2 loss. Eastern Mennonite (5-5) again opened with a big lead in game two and overpowered the Lions by a score of 21-5.

Game One: Eastern Mennonite 12, Penn State Altoona 2

The Royals staked out an early lead by putting four runs on the board in the bottom of the first. The Lions scored a run in the third and fourth innings, but Eastern Mennonite was able to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the contest and finish with a 10-run victory.

Jonathan Rauch (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles. Judd Dasso (Brentwood, TN/Brentwood) was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, and Devin Colón also finished 2-for-4.

Andrew Crouse (Mercersburg, PA/James Buchanan) made the start at pitcher, going four innings and striking out three batters while taking the loss. Ryan Schellhase (Fayetteville, PA/Chambersburg) tossed two innings in relief for the Lions, and Cole Suba (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) pitched 1/3 inning out of the bullpen.

EMU got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, thanks to a grand slam from Michael Duncan.

Penn State Altoona made it 4-1 in the top of the third, when Ethan Bojko (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East) drew a leadoff walk and later came home in a Zach Ingold (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) sacrifice fly to center.

But the Royals capitalized on several Lion miscues in the bottom half of the third to get that run back. Erik Wilkinson reached on a two-base error, moved up to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a balk to reestablish a four-run lead for the home team.

The Lions trimmed the EMU advantage back to three in the top of the fourth. Dasso doubled to left center with one out, then advanced to third on a wild pitch in the next at-bat. An outfield error in the next play allowed Dasso to come home, making it 5-2.

But the Royals scored one in the bottom of the fourth on a Dalton Rocke RBI triple, then made it 8-2 in the sixth on Daniel McGinnis' two-run single. EMU tacked four more runs on to its total in the seventh and defeated Penn State Altoona by 10.

Game Two: Eastern Mennonite 21, Penn State Altoona 5

EMU scored six runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back, finishing the game with 21 runs and 21 hits.

Dasso went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Brian Chelli (West Hartford, CT/Hall) was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base. Benjamin Ettien (Media, PA/Penncrest) finished with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored, and Cole Strick (Windber, PA/Windber) had two RBI and two walks.

Eric Seick (Mount Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic) started game two on the mound and suffered the loss. Ryan Jackson (Landisville, PA/Hempfield), Michael Tedrick (Plum, PA/Plum), Caden Force (Indiana, PA/Indiana), and Sean Wing (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) combined to pitch the last 5 1/3 innings in relief.

EMU nabbed another early lead when it put six runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Aidan Miller's RBI triple and a two-run homer by Wilkinson made it 3-0, before a Trevor Selph RBI single and Hady Bruno two-run triple boosted the Royals' advantage to 6-0.

The Lions countered with a pair in the top of the second. Dasso led off the frame with a base hit, and Ettien launched a home run to left center to make it 6-2.

But the Royals continued to add to their lead. In the bottom of the second, Wilkinson drove in a pair with his double to left center. In the third, a McGinnis solo shot gave EMU a 9-2 lead.

Penn State Altoona loaded the bases in the top of the fourth and came away with a run. A leadoff single from Dasso preceded a Hayden Sanchez (Mercersburg, PA/James Buchanan) base hit and a Nate Osteen (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) walk that put three aboard with one out. Strick followed with a walk, making it 9-3.

After EMU got that run back in the bottom of the fourth on a Bruno RBI single to center, the Lions plated two in the top of the fifth. Chelli started the inning with a single, then stole second base before coming home on an error one batter later. Later in the frame, Strick drew another bases-loaded walk to make it 10-5.

But the Royals exploded with 11 runs in the home half of the fifth to send the Lions home with a 16-run loss in game two.

Now, Penn State Altoona baseball will prepare for its annual spring break trip to compete in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, where the Lions will play a total of 10 games against seven different non-conference teams from March 7-14. Penn State Altoona's RussMatt schedule begins on Saturday, March 7, when it faces Penn State Brandywine for a doubleheader at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Fla. Game one of the twinbill is set to start at 1:45 p.m.