ERIE, Pa. - Five players had at least three hits and pitcher Paul Keith (Smithmill, PA/Moshannon Valley) allowed just two earned runs in eight innings for the Penn State Altoona baseball team, which hammered Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference foe Frostburg State 19-3 Friday morning in the first game of the double-elimination AMCC Tournament.

The third-seeded Lions, having lost twice to FSU earlier this season by scores of 20-2 and 12-0, were ready from the outset and put runs on the board in six of nine innings.

Grady Luzier (Forest, PA/West Branch) and John Schall (Snow Shoe, PA/Bald Eagle) had RBI singles in the first inning, and Altoona exploded for five runs in the second that included a Jim Byers (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg) two-run home run.

Penn State Altoona led 8-0 before Frostburg could get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third.  Ahead 4-2 after four innings, the Lions again stepped on the gas and plated three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.

Schall roped an two-RBI triple in the fifth, and Luzier, Byers, and Cord Heine (Malvern, PA/Mercersburg) each knocked in runs during the sixth.

Frostburg, which used six different pitchers in the game, did manage 13 hits in the contest but left 10 runners on base.  The Lions left 11 runners stranded and added four runs on insurance in the eighth inning.

Matt McGrogan (West Chester, PA/West Chester Henderson) pitched a scoreless ninth inning in relief of Keith, who earned his eighth victory of the season and struck out seven Bobcat batters.

RJ Barnard (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) went 4-for-5 and scored four runs to help the Lions up their record to 29-15.  Luzier and Heine each had three hits, while Byers smacked four hits and finished with five RBI.  Schall also finished the game with three hits.

Penn State Altoona will face top seed and host Penn State Behrend on Saturday at 11:00 AM.  A link to the AMCC Tournament webpage can be found on the front of the Penn State Altoona athletics website.