ALTOONA, Pa. - Freshman Erin Cline (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) hit a grand slam in game one and finished the day with five hits and seven RBI as the Penn State Altoona softball team thumped Hilbert Saturday at the Stewart Athletic Field.  The Lions won both games in five innings by identical 10-2 scores.

Hilbert scored a lone run in the first inning of the opener off Altoona starter Andrea Layton (Everett, PA/Everett) and held 1-0 advantage after 2 1/2 innings.  But the Lion bats came to life and scored two in the third before plating six runs in the decisive fourth frame.

After holding the Hawks scoreless in the fifth, Cline roped an RBI single and scored the game-winning run on a Megan Turiano (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) double. 

Cline's grand slam came in the fourth and was eventually followed by Ashley Ronan (Ashville, PA/Penn Cambria) and Brittany Hoffman (Milton, PA/Milton) RBI singles.

Layton earned the win, scattering four hits and allowing two earned runs.  Altoona cracked 15 total hits, and all nine players finished with at least one base knock.

The Hawks again held an early lead in game two, scoring two runs in the top of the third to grab a 2-0 advantage.  Offensively, Altoona responded with six runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth as Layton blasted a walk-off three-run home run in the fifth.

Callie Lyle (Brockway, PA/Brockway) earned the victory for the Lions, allowing four hits and surrendering no earned runs.  Cline, Layton, and Ronan all finished the nightcap with two hits apiece.

Altoona smacked six hits during its six-run fourth inning including a two-run double by Turiano.  Cline led off the fifth inning with her second home run of the afternoon, a solo shot to left field.

Penn State Altoona improved to 3-9 overall and 2-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  The squad is at Frostburg State this Tuesday, March 31, for a 1:00 PM doubleheader.