ALTOONA, Pa. – A snowstorm the day before turned into a perfect storm for FUS softball as a last-minute schedule forced the Lady Barons to face the top team in their conference with just 10 players. The limited roster led to a 26-4 and a 17-0 loss to Penn St. - Altoona.

"We knew going in that this was going to be a tough game," head coach Jen Parker said. "The odds definitely were not in our favor and we did not start out the first game well."

The first inning of game one was the low point of the day as the Lady Lions brought in 18 runs putting the game well out of hand with four innings left to play.

Despite the almost instant setback, Parker's team was able to recover and played a competitive 8-4 game in the final four innings.

"I was really proud of the way they hung in, particularly after that first inning," Parker said. "It would've been very easy to just say 'alright, we're just gonna try and get out of this game' but we scored four runs and honestly could have scored six."

Leading FUS in both games was senior Mallori Linscomb who has two hits, one run, and one RBI in the first game and then went two-for-two from the plate in the second game.

"I was really pleased with how she did," Parker said. "The girls are swinging the bat and making contact. Now its just getting them to direct their batting and getting the ball where it needs to go."

In the second game, Franciscan's fielding and pitching improved, slowing down the Altoona offense outside of a ten run third inning. Junior pitcher Ashley Ruttencutter was able to limit the number of free base runners given to the Lady Lions, walking just one batter to the ten walks FUS gave up as a team in the first game.

"If it wasn't for that third inning, we would've been in that game for the duration," Parker said. "We were playing well, we were fielding well, and if we had the same type of batting and runs that we had in the first game, I think the result would've looked a lot different for us."

Parker said her team is looking forward to their next two days of games, where they will be able to have their full roster and be better prepared for their opponents.

"We're feeling really confident so hopefully we can get a win tomorrow," Parker said.

Those games will be on the road at Chatham University on Friday, March 28 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.