Game 1: Penn State Altoona 11, Pitt-Greensburg 2
On a day dedicated to honoring its seniors, Pitt-Greensburg couldn't recover from a decisive fourth inning as the Bobcats dropped the opener of Saturday's doubleheader to Penn State Altoona, 11-2.
Altoona struck early with a leadoff home run in the first inning and added another run to take a quick 2-0 lead. The Bobcats threatened in the early going, including a Hunter Gideons double in the third, but were unable to break through.
The game shifted in the fourth inning when Altoona erupted for eight runs on seven hits, capitalizing on a pair of Pitt-Greensburg errors to build a commanding 10-0 advantage.
Despite the deficit, the Bobcats responded with two Senior Day highlights. Josh Preston launched a solo home run to left-center in the fourth inning to get Pitt-Greensburg on the board, and Colin Solinski added a solo shot in the seventh.
On the mound, Conner Burkey took the loss, while Matt Mazzara provided a steady relief effort, allowing just one run over the final 3.1 innings. Offensively, Pitt-Greensburg was limited to four hits in the contest.
Game 2: Penn State Altoona 12, Pitt-Greensburg 11
Game two delivered the drama Senior Day deserved, as Pitt-Greensburg mounted a furious late rally but ultimately came up just short in a 12-11 loss.
The Bobcats showed early life, answering Altoona's two-run first inning with a run of their own as William Somers came around to score on a Colin Solinski RBI double. Somers would go on to have a standout performance, finishing 5-for-5 with three RBIs.
After Altoona built a 9-2 lead through four innings, Pitt-Greensburg chipped away. The Bobcats plated two runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Josh Preston and Ethan Steinmetz, then added two more in the sixth, highlighted by Preston's second RBI knock of the day to cut the deficit to 10-6.
The momentum continued in the seventh when Somers delivered again with an RBI single, bringing the Bobcats within three. Still trailing 12-7 entering the eighth, Pitt-Greensburg scratched across another run on a Colby Rearick sacrifice fly.
The ninth inning nearly completed a memorable comeback. Somers led off with a home run to right-center, and the Bobcats kept the pressure on with a Solinski RBI single and a bases-loaded walk from Rearick that trimmed the deficit to just one. With the tying run on base, Altoona was able to record the final out and escape with the win.
Pitt-Greensburg finished with 15 hits and showed resilience throughout, drawing 11 walks and putting together sustained offensive pressure against the Altoona pitching staff.
