ORLANDO, Fl. - The Penn State Altoona baseball team banged out 33 total hits and scored 33 combined runs in a pair of games against Newbury College Friday, evening the squad's record at 6-6 overall and ending its spring break trip in Florida with a 6-4 record.  The Lions cruised to a 22-8 win in the opener and shut down the Newbury bats for an 11-2 nightcap victory.

In game one, seven Altoona players had at least two hits including Grady Luzier (Forest, PA/West Branch), who went 4 for 5 at the plate, scored two runs, and knocked in three.  Jim Baum (Shermansdale, PA/West Perry) and Tyler Stiffler (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had three hits apiece, and Baum also collected three RBI.

Newbury actually led 2-1 after one inning before Penn State Altoona scored six runs in the second and added five more in the third.  The Lions got another six runs in the fifth, three in the sixth, and tacked on one more in the seventh to set the final.

Freshman Tom Rafetto (Malvern, PA/Great Valley) pitched four innings to earn the win, scattering eight hits and striking out five while allowing four earned runs.  Jesse Cox (Huntingdon, PA/Huntingdon) and Brian Imperiale (Alpharetta, GA/Alpharetta) combined to allow four hits and only one unearned run in three relief innings.

Ryan Pollicino (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) belted a pair of triples.

Game two was more of the same as Cord Heine (Malvern, PA/Mercersburg), Clint Wilson (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) and Jim Byers (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg) each had two hits.

The Lions led 3-1 after 3 and 1/2 innings before a six-run bottom of the fourth that included four hits and a Newbury error made the score 9-1.

Heine hit his fourth home run of the trip in the third inning.  Kevin Obermeier (York, PA/York Catholic) got the win by pitching five innings and allowing four hits and no earned runs.  

Penn State Altoona, now 6-6 overall, will play its first home game of the 2009 season on Wednesday, March 18, against St. Vincent College.  First pitch is 1:00 PM at the Stewart Athletic Field.