SCRANTON, Pa. – For the first time since March 12, 2020, the Penn State Altoona baseball team took the field on Thursday afternoon, facing Marywood University in a non-conference doubleheader at Pacers Field.

The Lions (1-1) used a big offensive output in the first game to win 16-7, while Marywood (1-1) rallied for a walkoff 6-5 victory in the nightcap.

"Overall, I thought we played pretty well," said Penn State Altoona head coach RJ Barnard. "After coming out and playing well in game one, it was frustrating to come out flat in game two. However, there were a lot of good things to take from today, and it felt good to be back on the field after a year layoff."

Game One: Penn State Altoona 16, Marywood 7

The Lions' bats produced early and often, propelling Penn State Altoona to the nine-run victory in game one. The team got out to an 8-0 start, then tacked eight more runs on to its total over the final three innings. Penn State Altoona finished the contest with 14 hits.

Jake Hillard (State College, PA/State College) and Grayson McClain (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) led the way for Penn State Altoona at the plate, finishing the game with three hits apiece. Hillard went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in, two runs scored, one double, and one home run, while McClain was also 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI, and a walk.

Jared Ennis (Richboro, PA/Council Rock South) finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double, and Quinten Moslak (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI, and a walk. Richard Carey (Milton, DE/Cape Henlopen) went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI, and a walk.

On the mound, Tyler Manger (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) got the start and went three innings, struck out three batters, and left with a no decision. Cameron Dubbs (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) tossed 2 1/3 no-hit innings in relief, striking out three batters and recording his first collegiate win. Kyle Glass (Imler, PA/Claysburg-Kimmel) added 1 2/3 innings in relief with four strikeouts.

Penn State Altoona capitalized with two outs in the top of the first inning to plate a pair of runs. With runners at first and second, Hillard's double down the left field line brought one run in, and a wild pitch in the next at-bat allowed another to score.

The Lions again cashed in with two outs in the second, when McClain's RBI single to left and Ennis' two-run double to right increased Penn State Altoona's advantage to 5-0. The Lions made it 8-0 in the third, when Hillard, Moslak, and Carey all reached base and later scored on an infield throwing error.

Marywood got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the third and cut its deficit in half. Vinny D'Auria's three-run home run to center got three runs across for the Pacers, and Jake Schuster's sacrifice fly made it 8-4.

Penn State Altoona got three runs back in the top of the fifth, courtesy of RBI singles from Carey, McClain, and Ennis. In the sixth, Hillard mashed his first collegiate home run, a solo shot to right field that put the Lions back up by eight, 12-4.

After an error in the bottom of the sixth allowed a run to score for Marywood, Penn State Altoona kept the offense coming in the top of the seventh. Hillard's sac fly to left advanced one run home, and Moslak drove in a pair with a base hit to right. Carey's groundout to third base got another run in, increasing Penn State Altoona's lead to 16-5.

The Pacers scored two runs in the final half inning, thanks to Michael Tempel's RBI double and Shane Smith's run-scoring single.

Game Two: Marywood 6, Penn State Altoona 5

Penn State Altoona appeared to be on its way to a sweep of Thursday's doubleheader, as the Lions jumped out to a 5-1 lead through the first three innings. But Marywood came back and scored a walkoff win with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Catcher Cumming (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had two of Penn State Altoona's seven hits in game two, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Grant King (Wingate, PA/Bald Eagle) was 1-for-2 with a double and a team-high three RBI.

Alex Kitko (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) got the start on the bump for the Lions, pitching 3 1/3 innings, striking out four batters, and leaving the game with a no decision. Hunter Johnson (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) tossed the final 2 2/3 innings in relief, striking out six along the way.

King helped Penn State Altoona score the first three runs of the game in the top of the second inning with one swing of the bat. With the bases loaded and two outs, King's double into the left-center gap cleared the bases and put the Lions up 3-0.

Marywood got a run back in the bottom of the second when Tempel led off the frame with a home run to left-center that made it 3-1.

Penn State Altoona used back-to-back two-out homers in the third to increase its lead to 5-1. With two down, Cumming's solo homer added to the Lions' lead. Hillard, the next batter, followed with his second long shot of the day that upped Penn State Altoona's advantage to 5-1.

But the Pacers scored three in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one-run game, and Scott Becker's two-run double in the bottom of the seventh delivered a win for Marywood.

Next up, Penn State Altoona baseball will prepare for its first home games of the 2021 season. The Lions are set to host Penn State Behrend in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 21 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Stewart Athletic Field. While Penn State Behrend is an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent, the March 21 games will be treated as non-conference contests, and the teams will officially square off in AMCC action later this season in Erie.