CLAYSBURG, Pa. – Penn State Altoona softball hosted Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Alfred State College for a doubleheader on Saturday at Claysburg-Kimmel High School, and each team came away with a win.

Penn State Altoona (14-12, 4-2 AMCC) pulled out a 7-6 victory in extra innings to start the day, while Alfred State (8-8, 3-1 AMCC) bounced back for a 12-11 win in game two.

Game One: Penn State Altoona 7, Alfred State 6 (Final/9 innings)

The Lions overcame a 5-3 deficit after five innings, scoring a run in the sixth and seventh innings to knot the score at 5-5 and send the game to extras. After a scoreless eighth, Alfred State went up 6-5 in the top of the ninth, but Penn State Altoona rallied for a pair in the bottom half of the inning to win in walk-off fashion.

Riley Best (Coalport, PA/Glendale) had a big game at the plate for Penn State Altoona, including delivering the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. Best finished 4-for-5 with her third and fourth home runs of the season, three RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base.

Gracie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, a run scored, a walk, and a stolen base. Alexa Baney (Snow Shoe, PA/Bald Eagle) was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a stolen base.

Josselyn Nau (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) pitched a complete game to earn her sixth victory of the season. In nine innings, the right-hander limited Alfred State to four earned runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out three Pioneer batters.

Alfred State went up 1-0 in the top of the first on an Abbie Millard RBI double, and the Pioneers doubled their lead on Liana Dion's RBI single in the top of the fourth.

Best led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to left center that put Penn State Altoona on the board, and Baney's RBI infield single later in the frame tied the score at 2-2. After that, Audrey Walker (Mill Hall, PA/Central Mountain) stole home to give the Lions their first lead of the day, 3-2.

However, Alfred State came back with a three-run inning of its own in the top of the fifth to retake the lead. Hailey Lacko scored on a throwing error to even the score, and Trinity Scott's RBI single up the middle gave the visitors a 4-3 advantage. Nicole Youngberg's groundout brought home another run, and Alfred State ended the inning with a 5-3 lead.

Penn State Altoona trimmed its deficit to one in the bottom of the sixth, when Baney reached on a two-out infield single and scored on Wilt's triple to right. In the bottom of the seventh, Best went yard for the second time, blasting a one-out solo shot to left to tie the score at 5-5.

Nau and the Lions retired Alfred State in order to start the eighth, while the Pioneers nullified a Penn State Altoona threat in the bottom of the eighth on an inning-ending double play.

The Pioneers broke through for the first run of extra innings in the top of the ninth, when Jordyn Colvin's RBI infield single put Alfred State back in front, 6-5.

But Penn State Altoona responded in the bottom of the ninth to grab the victory. Wilt led off with a bunt single, then stole second to put two runners in scoring position for the Lions. After a fielder's choice loaded the bases, Madison Kennedy (Williamsburg, PA/Central) tied the score with a sacrifice fly to right. Best followed with the game-winning hit, sending a single into left field to plate the go-ahead run for Penn State Altoona.

Game Two: Alfred State 12, Penn State Altoona 11

The Pioneers stormed out to an 8-1 lead over the first one-and-a-half innings, but the Lions worked their way back into the game and stayed within striking distance for most of the contest. Penn State Altoona made it a one-run game in the bottom of the seventh, but Alfred State held on to secure the win.

Best hit 2-for-4 with her fifth home run of the season, three RBI, one run scored, and one stolen base. Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) slugged her fourth homer of the season for the Lions.

Walker finished with three runs scored, while Allison Beeman (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone), Lauren Davidson (Clearfield, PA/DuBois Central Catholic), and Baney scored two runs apiece.

Best took the circle for game two and was saddled with the loss, going 1 1/3 innings, yielding five earned runs, and striking out two batters. Kennedy finished the game by working the final 5 2/3 innings, surrendering four earned runs and recording two strikeouts.

Alfred State scored a run in the top of the first when Emma Edwards came home on a two-out outfield error, but a two-out RBI single to right by Best in the bottom of the first tied the score at 1-1.

The Pioneers countered with a seven-run top of the second. Edwards' RBI infield hit put the visitors back in front, and Scott's two-run double to center made it 4-1. Millard followed with an RBI double before Scott scored on an error to up the Pioneers' lead to 6-1. A groundout and another Penn State Altoona error produced two more runs for Alfred State, and the Pioneers took an 8-1 advantage into the bottom of the inning.

The Lions went to work on lowering their deficit in the bottom of the second. Back-to-back RBI singles to right by Baney and Wilt made it a five-run difference, 8-3. After that, Storm reached on a catcher's interference call with the bases loaded, allowing Walker to score, and Best's fielder's choice plated Baney to make it 8-5.

Penn State Altoona made it a two-run game in the third. Davidson led off with a walk, moved up to second on a groundout, and later scored on Peters' infield hit with two outs, cutting the Alfred State lead to 8-6.

The Pioneers added a run to their total in the top of the fifth, when Lacko's sacrifice bunt scored Madigan Harris from third. But Penn State Altoona picked up a pair in the bottom of the fifth, as wild pitches brought home Beeman and Walker to trim the Alfred State advantage to 9-8.

Alfred State got a big hit in the top of the sixth, when Ariel Maine's three-run double to left-center gave the Pioneers some breathing room by increasing their lead to 12-8.

But Penn State Altoona kept coming, as back-to-back solo jacks from Storm and Best closed the gap to two, 12-10, in the bottom of the sixth.

The Lions started the bottom of the seventh with singles from Walker and Kendal Wadsworth (Johnstown, PA/Richland), and both runners found themselves in scoring position with no outs following a throwing error by the Pioneers. After a strikeout, a wild pitch allowed Walker to score and get Penn State Altoona back to within one, 12-11. But, with the potential tying run at third, Alfred State got the last two outs to eke out a tight victory over the Lions.

Next up, Penn State Altoona softball returns to the road on Wednesday, April 8, for a doubleheader at AMCC opponent La Roche University starting at 3 p.m.