After suffering a 9-6 loss at Indiana (PA) to start a four-game PSAC Western Division Series on Friday, Pitt-Johnstown bounced back with a 9-5 victory in the nightcap behind Bree Ginther's three hits and two RBI and Ali Belgiovane's two hits and four RBI.  The Mountain Cats are now 5-15 overall and 5-13 in the PSAC West.
 
In game one, IUP used a pair of homeruns to help erase a four-run deficit in then 9-6 victory.
 
Renee Wall led off the IUP bottom of the first with a double, moved to third on Hope Jones' bunt single, and scored on Faith Jones' sacrifice fly.
 
The Mountain Cats loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second and came up with three runs.  Pinch-runner Lauren Gohacki scored from third on a wild pitch to tie it, before Olivia Porter singled up the middle to drive in Ginther and Sydney Flinn.
 
Tori Radvan's two-run homer to center in the Pitt-Johnstown half of the third increased it to 5-1, but IUP came back with three in the bottom of the inning on Faith Jones' two-run homer and a solo homer from Kaitlyn Beers.
 
Wall's sacrifice fly in the fourth gave the Crimson Hawks an unearned run that knotted it at five, before another sacrifice fly, this time from Haleigh Zimmerman plated Faith Jones in the fifth that gave the lead back to IUP.
 
The Mountain Cats tie it in the top of the sixth.  Hailei Markee reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on Taylor Mendicino's base and scored on Carly Santillo's base hit up the middle.
 
However, the Crimson Hawks answered with three in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI single from Faith Jones, and a two-run single from Beers.
 
Tori Radvan went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI, and Santillo had two hits and drove in a run for Pitt-Johnstown.  Porter had two hits and a pair of RBI, while Sydney Flinn, Mendicino, and Ginther had base hits.
 
Ashley Pagliei (0-5) took the loss in relief of starter Alyssa Hileman after giving up four runs on five hits over the final two innings.  Hileman pitched the first four innings and gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits.
 
In game two, Pitt-Johnstown built a 7-0 third inning lead and went on to the 9-5 win.
 
Pitt-Johnstown jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three unearned runs in the top of the first.  Santillo drove home Porter with a base hit to open the scoring, before Tori Radvan's bases loaded walk and Grinther's ground out that plated Mendicino made it 3-0.
 
The Mountain Cats added four more in the third.  Ginther's double to left center plated Santillo, ahead of Belgiovane's base hit up the middle that chased home Tori Radvan and Ginther.  After Belgiovane reached third on Laura Fox's ground out, Porter's sacrifice fly scored Belgiovane.
 
IUP cut it to 7-2 with a run in the bottom of the third and one in the fifth, but Belgiovane's two-run single in the top of the sixth scored Mendicino and Ginther to increase it to 9-2.
 
The Crimson Hawks got another run in the bottom of the sixth, and two more in the seventh on Hope Jones' RBI single and Zimmerman's RBI double down the right field line, but Kristen Coffay was able to get the final out to close out the complete-game effort in the circle.
 
Coffay, who improved to 4-5, surrendered five runs (3 earned) on seven hits in seven innings.
 
Ginther went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs, while Belgiovane was 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored for the Mountain Cats.  Santillo had three hits, and RBI and a run, and Porter doubled and drove in one.  Markee and Hileman also had bases hits for Pitt-Johnstown.
 
With the split, the Crimson Hawks are now 11-9 overall and 10-8 in the PSAC West.
 
Pitt-Johnstown closes out the series against Indiana (PA) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at V.E. Erickson Complex, then visits Shippensburg for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, before starting a four-game, home-and-home PSAC Western Division series against California (PA) on Friday at 2:30 and 4:30 at V.E. Erickson Complex.