(WASHINGTON, PA:)  Penn State Altoona cracked 12 hits and received stellar pitching performances to down Washington & Jefferson College 9-2 in game one of Sunday afternoon's doubleheader.  The Presidents rebounded to win game two 5-1 to salvage the split.  Altoona's record now stands at 8-14 overall while W&J sports a mark of 13-7.

In the opener, the Lions scored in five of the game's seven innings and held the Presidents to just three hits.  Starting pitcher Matthew McGrogan (West Chester, PA/West Chester Henderson) went 2 and 2/3 innings before reliever Michael Duffy (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown East) fired 4 and 1/3 scoreless frames to earn the win. 

Offensively, RJ Barnard (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) and Grady Luzier (Forest, PA/West Branch) both went 3-4 at the plate, and Luzier drove in three runs.  Senior Tony Petulla (Osceola Mills, PA/Philipsburg) went 2-3 and also had three RBI.

Altoona had a 7-0 lead before W&J could plate a run.  After scoring one in the first inning, the Lions used a bases clearing, three-RBI triple from Petulla in the second.  The visitors tacked on two more in the third, one in the fourth, and another in the sixth.

Presidents starter Andrew Bales lasted just two innings and was roughed up for five runs on seven hits.  W&J committed three errors in the game compared to just one miscue by Altoona.  Seven of the Lions nine starting position players had at least one hit.

Game two featured another pitching gem, this time from Washington & Jefferson hurler Brett Ferlic.  The sophomore scattered five hits and did not allow a single run while striking out two Lions. 

Altoona actually out-hit the Presidents 8-6 in the nightcap but left eight men on base and got its lone run on a Tyler Stiffler (Altoona, PA/Altoona) RBI groundout in the sixth. 

Leading 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Presidents got a two-run home run from Sean Boone to up the lead to 3-0.  An inning later, Dave Dimperio cracked a two-run single that gave Ferlic more than enough support. 

Lion hurler Jesse Cox (Huntingdon, PA/Huntingdon) allowed three runs and four hits over four innings of work.  Zach Darling (Hershey, PA/Hershey) surrendered two runs, two hits, and three walks in his two innings of mound time.

Penn State Altoona is back in action Tuesday, April 8, for an AMCC doubleheader against Pitt-Greensburg.  First pitch at the Ivyside Athletic Field is slated for 1:00 PM.

CONTACT:        Penn State Altoona Sports Information
                           Steve Crider  --  SID
                           814-949-5173
                           sac310@psu.edu