Altoona, PA- The Alfred State Softball team split the day on the road against Penn State Altoona, 7-6 and 12-11. The Pioneers move to 3-1 in the conference and 8-8 overall.
 
Game 1:
 
Marissa Ordway saw the mound for the entirety of game one, taking the loss. At the plate, Emma Edwards went 2-4. Nicole Youngberg recorded a triple, and Abbie Millard notched a double.
 
ASC struck first in the opening inning when Millard doubled down the left field line to bring home Edwards and give the Pios an early 1-0 lead. After a quiet stretch, the offense came alive again in the fourth as Liana Dion singled to left, plating another run 2-0. Altoona answered in the bottom of the inning, grabbing three runs to take the lead 3-2. The Pioneers responded in the fifth inning with a three-run rally. Edwards sparked the momentum, reaching on a single that led to a run scoring. Trinity Scott followed with an RBI single to regain the lead, and Youngberg added another run with an RBI groundout to make it 5-3 in favor of Alfred State.
 
The Lions refused to go away, as they trimmed the deficit to one in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, they tied the game 5-5 to force extra innings. After both teams held strong, the Pios regained the lead in the ninth when Jordyn Colvin delivered an RBI single to score Dion to make it 6-5. However, Altoona had one final push and plated two runs to walk it off and close out game one 7-6.
 
Game 2:
 
Hannah Powers saw the start in the circle for game two but was relieved by Sydney Howard who secured the win. Sophia Petrie recorded a save, coming in to relieve Howard and delivering two big strikeouts for the Pioneers. Youngberg continued to have a great bat, as she went 2-3, with a double. Scott went 1-3 with two RBI, a double and two stolen bases.
 
The Pios wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning, capitalizing on a dropped fly ball that allowed Youngberg to reach and Edwards to score an unearned run. Altoona quickly answered to tie the game at 1-1. ASC responded with a massive second inning, plating six runs to take control of the game. Edwards started the rally with an RBI single before Scott delivered a two-run double. Millard followed with an RBI double of her own while the Pioneers continued to offensively dominate, stretching the lead to 7-1.
 
The Lions refused to back down, answering with a four-run second inning to cut the deficit to 7-5. They continued to chip away in the third, making it a one-run game 7-6. The Pios added an insurance run in the fifth on a sac bunt from Hailey Lacko, pushing the lead to 8-6. However, Altoona once again fired back, tying the game 8-8. In the sixth, ASC delivered with three runs as Ariel Maine came through with a clutch three-run double to left center, scoring Youngberg, Millard and Scott, 11-8. The Lions made one final comeback attempt, tying the game in the seventh. Despite late pressure, the Pioneers held on just enough to grab another run and secure the win 12-11.
 
Alfred State is set to host Houghton on Tuesday, April 7^th with first pitch set at 2 pm.