While regular-season games certainly have plenty of meaning, Altoona’s baseball team learned a year ago that they don’t always lead to postseason success.

The Mountain Lions swept rival State College during the course of the season but fell to the Little Lions in the District 6 playoffs. This year, they will be trying to turn the tables.

State College downed Altoona for the second time this year, 9-8, at Mansion Park on Thursday behind the strength of a five-run top of the sixth inning.

“We beat them in two close games (last year), and now they have beaten us twice this year by one run,” Altoona coach Tom Smith said. “They beat us in districts last year, so that would be nice if we can do that (to them) this year. But they are a good team and have some good players. In a 9-8 game, they made some nice plays. They turned two when we had the lead with first and third when we were looking to add on with a very smooth double play to save a run. It’s little things like that which help you in a close game.”

Smith was referencing a 4-6-3 double play turned by State College in the bottom of the fifth inning that kept Aaron Smearman from scoring from third.

Leading 5-4, Eric McAllister struck out the first two batters in the top of the sixth inning before seven straight batters reached on a walk, five singles and a double by Rowan Walker to make the score 9-5 State College.

“That was probably our best half inning of the year of clutch hitting,” State College coach David Williams said. “We talked to the kids on the bus ride home yesterday after losing to Mechanicsburg about coming up big in big moments defensively and offensively. It looks like they took that message to heart, because the outcome was in the balance there. I’m glad they took our message.”

But just as it fought back in the final of the Curve Classic against Central, Altoona got its first three batters on in the bottom of the inning. Will Sankey walked, went to third on a Dante LaRocco single and scored on Gavin Albright’s hit. But Walker came on in relief for the Little Lions and got out of the jam against the middle of the Mountain Lions’ order.

“We scored some runs in the Curve tournament and scored eight runs today, but I don’t know how many hits we had,” Smith said. “I think we are struggling a little bit offensively. Our big guns — we’re coming up in situations where we can do some damage like that first inning, and we only got two runs. I’m thinking we needed four or five. We just needed one base hit, and we just haven’t seemed to get it.”

Altoona got a leadoff walk from Joseph Speece in the bottom of the seventh inning down 9-7, and Connor Pike’s single put the tying run on base. But from there, Walker retired the next three batters — two by strikeout — to leave the tying run stranded on third.

“They are our backyard rival,” Williams said. “We have nothing but respect for Tom’s team. They are a great team and loaded with talent. So, any time you can win a game against a team like that and that caliber of an opponent, it’s good for our boys. We’re just trying to get better every day, build confidence, grow as a team and come together as a team.”

Michael Powell had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs for the Little Lions.

Altoona, which got two hits and two RBIs from Albright, fell to 6-4, and Smith was still thinking about the top of the sixth inning when State College had no one on and two outs and scored five runs.

“We haven’t been able to close out innings,” Smith said. “That’s the frustrating part.”

Prior to the game, Smith read a tribute to Altoona sports superfan Terry Smith, who passed away late last year. A sign in Smith’s honor now hangs on the Altoona dugout.

“Terry was here all the time for over 20 years,” Smith said. “It was a great call by his niece Shelbie to think of a way to honor him in a place where he always liked to be, and that was at Mansion Park watching us play baseball.”

STATE COLLEGE (9): Rhoades ss 410, Hall cf 413, Powers 1b 501, Norman 1b 000, Scavone cr 010, Moriarta dh 412, Walker 3b-p 421, Herncane 2b 222, Harter rf 401, K. Williams c 101, Bierly c 200, O. Williams cr-3b 010, Powell lf 402. Totals — 34-9-13.

ALTOONA (8): LaRocco 3b-ss 521, Albright p-2b 412, Stroup cf 310, Kraft c 300, Baer cr 000, McAllister 2b-p-3b 110, Smearman ss-p 401, Speece 1b 311, Pike rf 311, Sankey lf 210. Totals — 28-8-6.

SCORE BY INNINGS

State College 020 205 0–9 13 3

Altoona 210 112 1–8 6 0

E–Herncane, Walker, K. Williams. 2B–Powell, Walker. RBI–Powell 3, Powers 2, Herncane 2, Walker, Hall, Albright 2, LaRocco, Kraft, McAllister, Smearman, Speece. WP–Powers. LP–McAllister. SO–Albright 3, McAllister 2, Smearman 1, Powers 2, Walker 2, Schirf 1. BB–Schirf 5, Powers 3, Walker 2, McAllister 2, Albright 1.

Umpires: Derrick Soellner (HP); Jim Cushion (bases).

Records: State College (3-4); Altoona (6-4).