PITTSBURGH, PA – La Roche Softball (2-8, 0-2) dropped both games of a double-header to defending AMCC Conference champion Penn State Behrend (6-8, 2-0) 8-1, 9-6 on Saturday in their home-opener.

Redhawks' Game 1 starter, Deanna Tritinger (0-4), tossed 4 innings and allowed 6 runs (3 earned runs) on 4 hits and walked 3 batters. Kaylee Girdwood threw 1 2/3 innings of relief and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and Ashley DeVito threw a scoreless seventh inning.

Kaylee Zozos registered an RBI single and a walk and Jennifer Lentz singled and scored. Jodi Walsh went 2 for 3 and Tritinger walked twice. Amber Steenbeke reached base twice in the loss.

The Lady Redhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 2. Elizabeth Palumbo reached on an error to lead off the inning and moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Lea Kronz. Two batters later Palumbo scored on an Alex Spain triple to deep left field and Spain crossed home plate on a passed ball.

Penn State Behrend answered with a run in the top of the second and sixth innings and six runs in the third inning but Alexandra Bauer and Sarah Kohli scored a run each in the fourth and sixth innings to cut the deficit to just two runs. The Lions added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning and forced three consecutive groundouts in the bottom half of the inning to end it.

Bauer went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored, a triple and a walk and Spain had an RBI triple, scored a run, walked, and stole a base. Palumbo finished with a pair of singles, an RBI, a run scored, and stolen base and Kohli went 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored. Zozos had 2 singles and an RBI for the Redhawks.

Ashley DeVito (1-3) got the start and allowed 7 runs (6 earned runs) on 8 hits in 2 1/3 innings while Kaylee Girdwood gave up 2 runs (1 earned run) on 6 hits in 4 2/3 innings of work.

 La Roche Softball will travel to Grove City on Tuesday before returning to campus and hosting Juniata on Thursday. The Lady Redhawks resume conference play on April 6 when they travel to Hilbert College.