ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona softball team won all three of its matchups on Friday in day two of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament at Penn State Behrend, surviving three different opponents to earn a trip to the conference championship game tomorrow, Saturday, May 13.

Penn State Altoona (23-12), the third seed in the tournament field, had no room for error on Friday, as the Lions carried one loss into day two of the double elimination tournament. The Lions got the job done, winning each of their contests to punch a ticket to the AMCC Championship game tomorrow at 10 a.m. against top seed Behrend, which has thus far remained undefeated in the tournament.

The Lions started Friday's round with a 9-1 victory over fifth seed Pitt-Bradford (11-27) in five innings. Penn State Altoona advanced to face fourth seed La Roche (15-23) in the afternoon, and the Lions earned a 6-0 shutout win. Finally, Penn State Altoona clinched a berth to the AMCC title game by defeating conference rival and second seed Mount Aloysius College (19-12) by a final score of 7-1 in the day's final contest.

Game One: #3 Penn State Altoona 9, #5 Pitt-Bradford 1 (Final/5 innings)

Penn State Altoona posted its second eight-run rule win of the tournament to start Friday's action, defeating Pitt-Bradford by eight runs in five innings. The win eliminated Pitt-Bradford from the tournament, while Penn State Altoona stayed alive.

The Lions' Madison Lucas (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) went 2-for-3 with a grand slam – her fourth home run of the season – finishing with four runs batted in, two runs scored, and a walk. Gianna Hoppel (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County) was 2-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored, and a walk, and Brooke Colledge (Everett, PA/Everett) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Karli Storm (Chest Springs, PA/Cambria Heights) was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and one RBI. Aubrey Dotts (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) was 1-for-1 with three runs scored and two walks, and Alyssa Fisher (Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain) finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two walks. Hanna Lauck (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) and Madalyn Maynard (Towanda, PA/Towanda) were each 1-for-3.

In the pitching circle, Madison Peters (Bellefonte, PA/Bald Eagle) picked up her 15th win of the season in another complete game effort. In five innings, the righty allowed no earned runs while giving up just two hits and a walk, and she recorded two strikeouts.

Pitt-Bradford scored in the top of the first, when Faith McLaughlin reached on a leadoff error and scored on Daytona Wentzel's double.

But Penn State Altoona countered with two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead. Fisher started things off with a walk, then later scored on Colledge's RBI single. Later in the frame, Lucas doubled with two outs, and she scored on an error that occurred during Storm's infield single to make it 2-1.

The Lions added a run to their total in the second. With two outs, Dotts singled up the middle, moved to second on Fisher's base on balls, and advanced to third on an infield error. Hoppel followed that with an RBI single to left, putting the score at 3-1.

Penn State Altoona broke the game open with one swing in the fourth. Dotts led off the inning with a walk, Colledge reached on a base hit up the middle, and Hoppel drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Lucas came up with the big hit, homering to left to expand the Lions' advantage to 7-1.

Penn State Altoona ended the game early when their lead increased to eight runs in the bottom of the fifth. The frame began with a Dotts walk and a Fisher single to center, and one batter later, Hoppel's RBI single up the middle made it 8-1. Following a Lucas walk, Storm's RBI base hit to left got the Lions' advantage to 9-1, ending the game early with a win for Penn State Altoona.

Game Two: #3 Penn State Altoona 6, #4 La Roche 0

Penn State Altoona recorded its second shutout of the postseason tournament with a 6-0 blanking of La Roche to stay alive in the playoffs and set up a rematch with Mount Aloysius in Friday's final game.

Peters earned her 16th win at pitcher with a complete game shutout of the Redhawks. In seven innings, she held La Roche scoreless while scattering eight hits, walking one, and striking out six.

At the plate, Hoppel went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Colledge was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, and Fisher hit 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Penn State Altoona built a 4-0 lead after the game's first three innings.

In the bottom of the first, Colledge hit a one-out double, then scored on Hoppel's RBI single up the middle.

The Lions made it 3-0 in the second inning. Lauck started with a base hit to left, and Peters reached on a fielder's choice one batter later. After a groundout made it two outs in the inning, Fisher doubled to center to drive in both runs.

In the third, Hoppel drew a leadoff walk and came around to later score on Lauck's sacrifice fly to center, increasing Penn State Altoona's advantage to four runs.

The Lions added a pair of runs to their total in the sixth. Dotts led off with a walk, and one batter later, Colledge doubled to left to put two runners in scoring position. Hoppel's two-run single up the middle gave Penn State Altoona a 6-0 lead.

Game Three: #3 Penn State Altoona 7, #2 Mount Aloysius 1

Penn State Altoona gave up a first-inning run to the Mounties, but the Lions controlled the game the rest of the way, keeping Mount Aloysius off of the scoreboard over the final six innings while putting six runs on the board to pull away late.

Peters again started in the pitching circle and tossed a complete game to record her third win of the day and 17th victory this season. In seven innings, she allowed just one run on six hits and no walks, and she struck out four batters.

At the plate, Peters was one of two Lion hitters to finish with a three-hit performance, as she went 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Fisher was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Lauck was 1-for-3 with a double, three RBI, and a run scored, and Dotts went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Hoppel also had a hit, an RBI, and a run, and Storm walked twice and scored one run. Colledge recorded one RBI.

Mount Aloysius made it 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, when Alysha Cutri's two-out RBI single up the middle gave the Mounties an early advantage.

Penn State Altoona tied the score in the top of the third, when Peters led off with a double down the left-field line and later scored on Dotts' RBI groundout to second base.

The score remained tied until the top of the sixth, when Penn State Altoona put four runs on the board with two outs to take its first lead of the contest. With the bases loaded and two away, Lauck delivered a three-run double to left to put the Lions on top, and Peters helped her own cause when she followed with an RBI double to make it 5-1.

Penn State Altoona added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Dotts led off with a double, and Fisher reached on a bunt single to put runners at first and third. Colledge and Hoppel each contributed RBI groundouts to extend the Lions' lead to 7-1.

Now, Penn State Altoona finds itself in the AMCC Championship game for the second year in a row, again facing Behrend. The Lions will be in search of their third-ever AMCC title, with their most recent one coming in 2014.