ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team returned to action Sunday afternoon, traveling to face non-conference opponent Elizabethtown College in a doubleheader at The Nest.

Elizabethtown (3-13) got the best of Penn State Altoona in game one, winning 6-3. But the Lions (10-8) bounced back in game two, prevailing 7-1 to finish with a doubleheader split.

Game One: Elizabethtown 6, Penn State Altoona 3

The Blue Jays scored a run in each of the first three innings to establish an early lead. Penn State Altoona chipped away and closed the gap to one run, 4-3, in the top of the sixth. But Elizabethtown added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and finished with a three-run victory over the Lions.

Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) had her first collegiate two-homer game for Penn State Altoona, going 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs, three RBI, and two runs scored. Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) was 1-for-3 with a double, and Lauren Davidson (Clearfield, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) drew a walk and scored a run.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) took the loss in the pitching circle in a complete game effort, going all six innings and striking out four batters along the way.

Elizabethtown plated the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning on a Jess Dunn RBI single, and Kristen Aydelotte's RBI hit in the second made it 2-0. A solo home run to left by Skye Zolomij extended the Blue Jays' lead to three.

Penn State Altoona got on the board in the top of the fourth, when Hoppel's one-out solo shot to left made it 3-1, but Elizabethtown got that run back in the fifth on a Maddie Reever RBI single to center.

The Lions scored a pair in the top half of the sixth to make it a one-run game. With two outs, Davidson walked, and Hoppel followed with her second home run of the season to cut the Elizabethtown lead to 4-3.

But the Blue Jays responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, when a two-run single from Brooke Huczko made it 6-3. The Lions got a leadoff double from Storm in the top of the seventh, but they were unable to generate any more offense, and Elizabethtown wrapped up a three-run victory over Penn State Altoona.

Game Two: Penn State Altoona 7, Elizabethtown 1

Penn State Altoona scored three runs in the top of the first to grab an early lead, and the Lions never looked back. Penn State Altoona limited Elizabethtown to just one run on five hits.

Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) hit 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Hoppel was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored, and Storm batted 2-for-3 with a double, a run, and a walk. Haleigh Peters (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) walked three times, scored a run, and stole a base.

In the pitching circle, Madison Kennedy (Williamsburg, PA/Central) tossed a complete game to record her second win of the season. The right-hander allowed only five hits and a run, issued no walks, and struck out two batters.

The Lions seized an early lead when they got three runs home in the top of the first inning. Fisher led off with a hit, and Davidson reached on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat to put two runners on with no outs. An RBI double to left center off the bat of Hoppel brought Fisher in, and Lauck followed that with a two-run single down the right-field line to make it 3-0.

Elizabethtown got a run in the bottom of the second when Ali Williams scored on a sacrifice bunt, but Penn State Altoona answered that with a run in the top of the third. Storm reached on a single up the middle with one out and later scored on Allison Beeman's (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) two-out RBI base hit to left, putting the Lions' lead at 4-1.

Penn State Altoona added to its lead in the top of the fourth. Peters started the inning with a walk, and Fisher followed with a base hit to right. Two outs later, Lauck delivered a two-RBI single to center to extend her team's advantage to 6-1.

The Lions tacked one more run on to their total in the sixth, when a two-out RBI single to left by Hoppel brought Fisher home, making it 7-1.

Penn State Altoona softball is scheduled to get back in action tomorrow, Monday, March 31, when the Lions are set to host non-conference opponent Susquehanna University in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.