BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Penn State Altoona baseball team started its 2023 season schedule with a doubleheader split against non-conference opponent Bridgewater College on Friday.

Bridgewater (1-6) rallied for a big 19-9 win in game one, before Penn State Altoona (1-1) pulled off a comeback of its own to take game two 5-3.

Game One: Bridgewater 19, Penn State Altoona 9

Penn State Altoona held a 6-3 lead through five innings and a 6-4 advantage through six, but Bridgewater upended the Lions with a 12-run bottom of the seventh, as the Eagles prevailed by 10 runs in game one of the doubleheader.

Zach Ingold (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) went 3-for-4 for the Lions with four runs batted in and his first collegiate home run, a grand slam in the fifth inning. Jake Hillard (State College, PA/State College) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk, Anthony Iannizzi (Leesburg, VA/Heritage) went 2-for-4 with a double, and Corey Chamberlain (Claysburg, PA/Claysburg-Kimmel) finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a walk.

Eli Wiles (Kittanning, PA/Armstrong) started on the mound and took a no decision after tossing four innings, striking out three batters, and yielding only one earned run. Alex Kitko (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) pitched two innings in relief and was saddled with the loss, and Bryant Allison (Alexandria, PA/Juniata Valley) and Sean Wing (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) each pitched one inning out of the bullpen.

Penn State Altoona wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as the Lions were able to get a run across in the top of the first. Grayson McClain (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) was hit in the foot by a pitch to start the game, giving Penn State Altoona a leadoff baserunner. McClain stole second, moved up to third on Garrett Alauzen's (Pittsburgh, PA/Chartiers Valley) infield single to third, and then scored on a balk to make it 1-0.

Bridgewater answered in the bottom half of the inning, evening the score at 1-1 on Brandan Hartman's RBI double. The score remained tied until the Eagles plated a pair in the fourth, when an outfield error allowed two runs to come in for the home team.

But Penn State Altoona responded in a big way in the next half inning, scoring five runs in the top of the fifth to leap ahead. With one out, Richard Carey (Milton, DE/Cape Henlopen) singled to left, Alauzen was hit by a pitch, and Hillard reached on a base hit to right to load the bases. Chamberlain followed with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing in Carey to make it a one-run game, 3-2. The next batter, Jonathan Rauch (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin), was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases, and Ingold followed by hitting a grand slam to propel Penn State Altoona to a 6-3 lead.

Bridgewater got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, using a two-out RBI double from Isaiah Blanks to narrow Penn State Altoona's lead to 6-4. The Eagles tied the game in the seventh, when Jeffrey Snider's two-run homer made it 6-6, then grabbed a one-run lead on Hartman's RBI, ground-rule double. Bridgewater went on to score nine more runs in the frame, capping a 12-run bottom of the seventh that gave the Eagles a 16-6 advantage.

Penn State Altoona scored three runs in the top of the eighth to make it 16-9. Brian Chelli (West Hartford, CT/Hall) drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a passed ball, Chamberlain hit an RBI double, and Grant Barberich (Leesburg, VA/Heritage) drove in a run with his groundout to second.

But Bridgewater got those runs back in the bottom half of the inning on Hartman's bases-clearing double that made it 19-9.

Game Two: Penn State Altoona 5, Bridgewater 3

Penn State Altoona came back from a one-run deficit in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to overtake the Eagles' lead and salvage a split in the doubleheader.

Alauzen went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base for the Lions, while Hillard was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Barberich hit 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Tristin Lockett (Mifflin County, PA/Mifflin County) got the start on the rubber in game two, pitching four innings, yielding two runs, and striking out four batters in a no decision. Sam Homan (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfloyle) earned the win for the Lions, pitching the next four innings and limiting Bridgewater to one run while recording a pair of strikeouts. Mack Meengs (State College, PA/State College) struck out the side in a scoreless ninth inning of work to pick up his first collegiate save.

Bridgewater scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second, when Hartman led off the frame with a home run.

Penn State Altoona answered with a pair of runs in the next half inning to jump ahead. With one out, Alauzen and Hillard reached on back-to-back singles to put two runners aboard for the Lions. After a fly out, Barberich drove both runners in with his double that gave Penn State Altoona a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles knotted the score at 2-2 in the bottom half of the third on Snider's RBI double, and after the score remained tied for the next two-and-a-half innings, the home team went up 3-2 on Blanks' sac fly in the bottom of the sixth.

But Penn State Altoona rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh. Aidan Donovan (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) reached on a leadoff walk, stole second, and moved up to third on a groundout. Donovan scored on the next at-bat, when Carey reached on an infield error that allowed the tying run to come home for the Lions. After an Alauzen walk, Hillard's RBI single put Penn State Altoona up by one, and Chamberlain reached on another infield error to allow Alauzen to score, making it 5-3.

Bridgewater totaled five base runners over its final three innings, but Penn State Altoona stranded them all to preserve its lead and clinch the game two victory.

Next up, Penn State Altoona baseball will prepare for its annual trip south to compete in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, when the Lions will face a total of six Division III opponents over the course of  a week. The team opens its week in Florida against Calvin University on Saturday, March 4 at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport. The doubleheader, which will consist of two seven-inning games, is slated to begin at 9:15 a.m.