ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Altoona baseball team lost to top seed and host Penn State Behrend 11-4 in Saturday's first game but bounced back to post a second straight convincing win over Frostburg State, 12-4, and eliminate the Bobcats while advancing to Sunday's title contests.  Altoona will have to beat Behrend twice on Sunday to win their second-ever Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship.

All-AMCC pitcher David Koerbel shut down the Lion bats in the opener, striking out 13 Altoona hitters while allowing only one earned run in seven innings.  Behrend smacked 13 hits and had five players with two or more base knocks.

Altoona starter Mike Myers (Boiling Springs, PA/Boiling Springs) was touched up for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning.  The visitors cracked the scoreboard with a run in the top of the fourth when Cord Heine (Malvern, PA/Mercersburg) doubled home Grady Luzier (Forest, PA/West Branch).

But Behrend widened the gap when it scored three runs in both the fifth and seventh innings sandwiched around a lone run in the sixth.  Altoona got consecutive RBI hits in the seventh from Jim Byers (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg), John Schall (Snow Shoe, PA/Bald Eagle), and Ryan Pollicino (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union).

Schall and Byers combined for seven of the Lions' 10 hits in the game.  Myers, who took the loss, was pulled after 4 2/3 innings and seven earned runs.

Facing elimination, Penn State Altoona jumped out of the gates against Frostburg State and held a commanding 9-1 lead after five full innings of play.

Byers and RJ Barnard (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) each smacked RBI hits in the first inning as Altoona grabbed a 2-0 lead.  Behrend responded with one in the bottom of the frame before the visiting bats would heat up in innings four and five.

Penn State Altoona batted around the order in the fourth and tacked four runs on the scoreboard thanks to RBI hits by Schall, Bobby Reece (Levittown, PA/Neshaminy), and Jimmy Baum (Shermansdale, PA/West Perry).  In the fifth, Schall, Baum, and Jim Bennett (Linden, PA/Williamsport) each had run-scoring hits to put Altoona well ahead.

Lion starting pitcher Gerard Vath (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley) cruised to the victory, allowing just three earned runs and fanning 10 Bobcat hitters in 7 1/3 innings. 

Altoona added three insurance runs in the ninth thanks in large part to a pair of Frostburg State errors.  Baum and Byers each finished the contest with three hits.

Penn State Altoona, now 30-16 overall, will face unbeaten Penn State Behrend Sunday morning at 10:00 AM.  If Altoona wins, the two squads will play again at 1:00 PM for the 2009 AMCC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.