(Posted April 29, 2009)

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Junior Alyssa Erb (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) fanned 10 Penn State-Altoona batters to lead Juniata College softball to a 5-1 win over the Lions, in the first game of the schools' doubleheader Wednesday at Stewart Field.

Penn State-Altoona took advantage of five Juniata errors in game two, and rebounded for a 4-1 victory in game two.

Trailing 1-0 through two innings in the first game, Juniata (23-11) scored three runs in the third. Stacy Nagy (Millerton, Pa./Troy) and Tara Carl (Duke Center, Pa./Otto-Eldred) got aboard with two out singles in the third, and Liz Schmitt (Knoxville, Tenn./H. Frank Carey, N.Y.) cleared the bases with a home run to center field.

The Eagles tacked on two more runs in the fourth, when Sarah Eckard (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) doubled down the left field line to Kelsey Shutt (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Jackie Morley (North Wales, Pa./Archbishop Wood). Morley reached on a walk, while Shutt singled through the left side.

Erb allowed just four hits over seven complete innings of work, improving her record to 14-6.

In game two, Penn State-Altoona got on the board first with a run in the second inning. Kelly McVay reached and advanced all the way to third on an error, and crossed as an unearned run on Chelsey Rhodes' single up the middle.

The Lions added a second run in the third on Erin Cline's sac fly to center field, scoring Alanna Luzier who reached on a single.

Penn State-Altoona added to its lead with a two-run fourth inning, on a double and two Juniata errors.

Juniata broke Penn State-Altoona's shutout bid in the sixth inning. Nagy drew a walk to lead off the inning, and advanced to second on a Carl single up the middle. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and a walk issued to Melissa Moffat (Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside) loaded the bases. Nagy scored on Brittany Wilmot's (Fonda, N.Y./Fonda-Fultonville) ground out to short, but another ground out by Caley McCool (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) ended the inning with two Juniata runners stranded.

Juniata starter Pam Mansell (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) allowed four runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits with a walk and a strikeout, and was charged with the loss to fall to 1-2. Pam Heinrichs (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) came on for Mansell in the fifth inning, and pitched two innings of no-hit ball in relief.

Lions' starter Andrea Layton scattered four hits with three strikeouts over seven innings on her way to the win.

Juniata opens play in the 2009 Landmark Conference Softball Tournament on Friday, May 1, in Bethlehem, Pa., when it faces Susquehanna University at 1:00 p.m.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.