BRADFORD, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team secured its ninth and tenth Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference wins of the season on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions swept conference foe Pitt-Bradford in a doubleheader at the Kessel Athletic Complex.

Penn State Altoona (20-12, 10-2 AMCC) battled for a 10-5 victory in game one, then came back for an 8-7 triumph in game two to hand Pitt-Bradford (8-19, 5-6 AMCC) a pair of conference losses.

Game One: Penn State Altoona 10, Pitt-Bradford 5

With the score tied 3-3 after four innings, Penn State Altoona broke the game open with a four-run fifth, then tacked three more runs onto its total in the sixth on the way to a five-run victory over Pitt-Bradford.

Madison Kennedy (Williamsburg, PA/Central) helped lead the Lion bats with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, getting a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Riley Best (Coalport, PA/Glendale) was 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI, a run scored, and a walk.

Alexa Baney (Snow Shoe, PA/Bald Eagle) hit 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk, and Kendal Wadsworth (Johnstown, PA/Richland) went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Gracie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) scored three runs, walked twice, and stole two bases.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) spun another complete game for the Lions, going all seven innings to achieve her ninth win of the season. The right-hander held the Panthers to four earned runs in her outing while striking out three batters.

Penn State Altoona wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as the Lions got a pair of runs across in the top of the first inning. Baney drew a leadoff walk, and Wilt reached on a throwing error during her sacrifice bunt in the next play. Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) followed with a sac fly to right to score Baney, and after Best walked, Kennedy's RBI single up the middle brought Wilt home to make it 2-0.

Pitt-Bradford got a run back in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with one out and scoring a run on Lilly Hamels' walk. But the Lions remained in front, getting outs in the next two at-bats via a popup and fielder's choice grounder.

However, the Panthers managed to tie the score in the bottom of the second when Tae-Lynn Brabant led off with a double to left and later came home on Sasha Ginsberg's groundout to second.

The teams continued to trade runs in the fourth. In the visitors' half, Kennedy led off with a single and later scored on Wadsworth's two-out RBI single up the middle. Pitt-Bradford responded in the home half, when Lexi Najdusak walked with one out and later scored on a two-out outfield error, tying the score at 3-3.

But Penn State Altoona reclaimed the lead for good in the top of the fifth. Baney started the inning with a base hit, Wilt walked, and Storm moved both runners into scoring position with a sac bunt. Best came next, doubling to center to score both runs and put the Lions in front, 5-3. After that, Kennedy's double put two aboard for Penn State Altoona, and the Lions capitalized with a Lauren Davidson (Clearfield, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) sac fly to center and an Allison Beeman (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) RBI single up the middle to make it 7-3.

Pitt-Bradford trimmed the Lions' lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth, when Krislyn Clement scored on a groundout and Sandra Watne hit an RBI single to left.

But Penn State Altoona was able to add on in the top of the sixth. The Lions got another leadoff runner on base when Wadsworth singled to center, and Olivia Werkheiser's (Easton, PA/Wilson Area) RBI double to left center followed to make it 8-5. Shortly thereafter, Werkheiser came home from third on a stolen base, and Best's two-out RBI single to center upped Penn State Altoona's advantage to 10-5.

Nau and the Lions shut the door on Pitt-Bradford the rest of the way. In the sixth, Penn State Altoona retired the Panthers in order with a foul out, groundout, and popup. In the seventh, Clement started with a single but was erased on a double play before a strikeout sealed the Lions' victory.

Game Two: Penn State Altoona 8, Pitt-Bradford 7

The Lions built a 5-2 lead through five innings, but the Panthers stormed ahead with a five-run sixth inning to nab their first lead of the contest. However, Penn State Altoona battled back with three runs in the top of the seventh to pull out the comeback win.

Storm had a three-hit game, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Beeman was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Kennedy launched her second home run of the season and finished with two RBI.

In the circle, three Lion pitchers combined to allow just two earned runs to Pitt-Bradford. Best got the start and finished with a no-decision, going four innings, allowing one run, and recording three strikeouts. Kennedy followed, tossing the next two innings, striking out two, and yielding just one earned run while notching her seventh win of the spring. Nau finished things off with a spotless seventh inning to register her first save of the season.

Penn State Altoona jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Kennedy's solo shot down the left-field line, and the Lions made it 3-0 in the top of the fourth on back-to-back two-out RBI singles from Beeman and Wadsworth.

Pitt-Bradford cut into its deficit in the bottom half of the fourth, getting a leadoff homer from Clement to make it 3-1. But Penn State Altoona answered with two runs in the top of the fifth, using a Best RBI double to left and a Kennedy run-scoring groundout to second to put the advantage at 5-1.

The Panthers closed the gap to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth, when Miranda Groll led off with a base hit and came around to later score on a wild pitch.

Pitt-Bradford proceeded to break through for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to surge ahead, getting all five across with two outs. With the bases loaded, Cassie Scarbrough's two-run single through the right side brought the home team closer, 5-4. The next batter, Clement, knocked her second home run of the day, a three-run shot to left, to put the Panthers into the lead, 7-5.

But Penn State Altoona rallied for three in the next half inning. Baney started the inning with a double to right, moved up to third on a groundout, and came home on Storm's RBI single to left. After Best was intentionally walked, Kennedy reached on an error in the next at-bat, which allowed Storm to score and tie the game at 7-7. With Best at third following the error, Davidson got her home with a sac fly to right, putting Penn State Altoona up by one.

The Lions posted a clean bottom of the seventh, getting outs on two popups and a lineout to wrap up the come-from-behind victory.

Penn State Altoona softball returns to non-conference action at home this Monday, April 20, as the Lions host Lycoming College for a doubleheader at Stewart Athletic Field. Game one is set to start at 3 p.m., and the team will recognize senior shortstop Storm for its Senior Day ceremony.