FERRUM, Va. - The Penn State Altoona women's softball team concluded its three-day road trip to Virginia with a pair of hard-fought non-league setbacks to Ferrum College.  The hosts used five Lion errors in game one to earn a 9-4 victory and got solid pitching to win the nightcap 5-1.

In the opener, Altoona got two hits apiece from Kara Myers (Millheim, PA/Penns Valley) and Erin Cline (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional).  Lion pitcher Andrea Layton took the loss, allowing nine total runs but only three earned.

Both teams scored two runs apiece in the first inning as Cline blasted a two-run home run that scored Alanna Luzier (Frenchville, PA/Clearfield) in the top of the frame.  Ferrum got one in the second and another in the third before a decisive five-run fourth inning blew the contest open.

The hosts had only two hits in that fourth inning but took advantage of three Altoona miscues.  Trailing 9-2, the Lions got an RBI triple from Cline in the sixth, and she later scored on a Luzier sacrifice fly to set the final.

The Lion bats were tempered in game two by Ferrum pitcher Brittaney Shifflett, who worked six innings and allowed one run and one hit while fanning three.  Altoona pitcher Callie Lyle (Brockway, PA/Brockway) suffered the loss after giving up four earned runs and eight hits through five frames.

Ferrum plated one run in the third, but Penn State Altoona tied the game in the fourth when Lyle doubled and scored on a Cline sacrifice fly.  But the Panthers banged out four hits and scored four runs in the fifth to pull ahead and escape with the victory.

Penn State Altoona fell to 1-5 overall.  The Lions open Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play at Medaille on Saturday, March 21.  First pitch is 1:00 PM.