AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Penn State Altoona baseball team faced Chatham University in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Mickey Etherton Field at Lake Myrtle Park, and the Lions came away with a split in their second-to-last day in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

Chatham (4-5) overcame a 4-1 deficit in game one to win it 7-4, but Penn State Altoona (4-5) answered in game two, hanging on for a 4-3 victory.

Game One: Chatham 7, Penn State Altoona 4

Penn State Altoona carried a 4-1 advantage into the bottom of the fifth inning, but Chatham used a six-run inning to jump ahead and ultimately win by three runs.

Alex Hlivia (Pennsylvania Furnace, PA/State College) had two of Penn State Altoona's five hits, going 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base. Aidan Donovan (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) was 1-for-2 with two runs batted in and a walk, and Corey Chamberlain (Claysburg, PA/Claysburg-Kimmel) was 1-for-2 with a home run, an RBI, a run scored, and two walks.

Eli Wiles (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) started on the mound for the Lions and pitched 4 1/3 innings, suffering the loss. Caiden Bonsell (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) tossed the final 1 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

Chatham plated the game's first run in the bottom of the first, when a Caleb Jones groundout to second allowed Benny Dottle to score from third.

Penn State Altoona got that run back in the top of the fourth. Hlivia led off the frame with a double, moved up to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Jake Hillard's (State College, PA/State College) groundout to shortstop.

The Lions jumped ahead in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs to grab a 4-1 advantage. With one out, Chamberlain hit a solo home run to left, his first long ball of the season, to put Penn State Altoona in front. Fred Guarino IV (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) and Jimmy Mento (Corapeake, NC/Gates County) each walked, and later in the inning with two outs, Donovan drove them both in with a single to left-center field.

But Chatham answered with a six-run bottom of the fifth to surge ahead. Dottle's RBI single to shortstop brought in one run, and Peter Tadic was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to trim Penn State Altoona's lead to one. After a pitching change, Jones plated a pair with his base hit into right, and Angelo DeLeonardis' RBI single put the Cougars up, 5-4. Tyler Cote's RBI single up the middle gave Chatham a two-run lead.

Penn State Altoona was unable to get any more offense going the rest of the way, and the Lions fell by three runs in game one.

Game Two: Penn State Altoona 4, Chatham 3

The Lions again created an early lead, building a 4-1 advantage through two innings. Chatham chipped away and made it a one-run game, but Penn State Altoona was able to hold on to salvage a victory.

Sam Homan (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) started at pitcher for Penn State Altoona and secured his first win of the season. The left-hander went five innings and held Chatham to two runs while striking out three batters. Cameron Dubbs (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) pitched the final two innings in relief and preserved the Lions' lead to earn his first save of the season.

At the plate, Chamberlain was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, Jonathan Rauch (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, and Brian Chelli (West Hartford, CT/Hall) was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Penn State Altoona plated two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first to grab the early lead. With two away, Rauch doubled to left center, and Chamberlain drove him in with a base hit through the right side. After a Mento walk, Chelli's RBI single to right brought Chamberlain home to make it 2-0.

Chatham scored a run in the top of the second when Cote walked with the bases loaded. But Penn State Altoona got a double play to evade further damage, and the Lions held a one-run lead at the end of the frame.

Penn State Altoona added two runs to its total in the bottom half of the second. Tristan Holland (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) led off with a walk, and he scored later in the inning on Hillard's RBI single to center. Hillard swiped second base, and one batter later, he scored on Rauch's run-scoring single to right to make it 4-1.

The Cougars closed the gap to 4-2 in the top of the third, when Eli Kelley's two-out RBI single scored a run with two outs. But Penn State Altoona threw out a base runner at home on the play to avoid any additional runs coming across, and the Lions led by two at the conclusion of the inning.

Chatham made it a one-run game in the top of the seventh, when Jones hit a solo home run to right to narrow the Lions' lead to 4-3. But Penn State Altoona closed the game out to win by one.

Penn State Altoona returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, March 9, for the team's final day of games in Florida. The Lions will face Roger Williams University in a doubleheader at Lake Myrtle Park's field #8, with game one first pitch set for 9:45 a.m.