It was a tough day at the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament for the Mount Aloysius softball team, as they fell in a pair of tightly contested games on Friday. The Mounties dropped a walk-off heartbreaker to Penn State Behrend, 5-4, before falling to Penn State Altoona, 6-1.
In the opener, the game remained scoreless through three innings before the No. 1 seed Penn State Behrend built a 4-3 lead through six. Mount Aloysius showed fight in the top of the seventh, tying the game on a sacrifice fly from Sarah Henninger. But the Lions had the final word, as Hannah Smith delivered a walk-off single through the left side to drive in Alexia Brown. Smith finished the game with two hits and two RBIs, while Brown and Chloe Nale each doubled.
For Mount Aloysius, Alysha Cutri, Taylor Doyle, and Isabela Marquez each tallied two hits in a balanced offensive effort.
In the second game, Penn State Altoona jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding three more in the fifth. The Mounties’ offense struggled to find traction against Lions pitcher Riley Best, who fired five innings, allowing just one run and two walks. Madison Kennedy closed the door with two scoreless frames, adding four RBIs at the plate.
Cambria Heights graduate Karli Storm led Penn State Altoona with three hits, including a double, and made history in the process. When she crossed home plate in the fifth inning, Storm set the program's single-season record for runs scored with her 47th, surpassing the previous mark of 46 set by former catcher Erin Cline in 2010.
Madison Kennedy and Gracie Wilt each doubled among their two hits, while Richland product Kendal Wadsworth added two more. For Mount Aloysius, Marquez again collected two hits, and Ava Doyle tripled and drove in a run in the fifth inning.
No. 6 seed Mount Aloysius finishes the season with a 15-25 record. Meanwhile, Penn State Altoona advances to face Penn State Behrend in the championship game on Saturday, needing to win twice as Behrend remains unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament.