Altoona’s Skyler Reed gets set to hit against Hollidaysburg on Friday at Logan Elementary Field. Mirror photo by Andy Stine

Altoona softball coach Alyssa Rumberger had the tough task of rebuilding the program when she was hired for the 2024 season.

The Lady Mountain Lions may have picked up the best win of Rumberger’s three-year tenure on Friday, scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the first in a 20-5 dismantling in four innings over rival Hollidaysburg at Logan Elementary School.

Altoona had just one win two years ago and improved to three wins last season, and it now has doubled its total from last year with six wins with one more regular season game to play this morning at home against DuBois.

The Lady Lions have won three in a row and have scored 37 runs just in the last two games alone.

“Our goal is to just build on every season,” Rumberger said. “Every game we’re trying to make progress. We play in a really challenging (Mid-Penn) conference. Nothing comes easy. I think we have momentum going this year, especially this week. We’re on a three-game winning streak, and I don’t know when the last time that’s happened.”

The Lady Tigers started off the season with a little bit of promise after going 5-5 in their first 10 contests. But ever since, Hollidaysburg has limped its way through the second half of the season after losing eight of its last nine games.

Hollidaysburg’s Maggie Hicks led off the game with a solo homer to left-center, but there wasn’t much for the Lady Tigers to cheer about the rest of the way.

“We started out with a home run, and then Altoona just pounded us,” Hollidaysburg coach Mike Harris said. “Our pitching is struggling right now, and I don’t know what the answer is. We just have to get better.

“Altoona has been hitting the ball really well. It’s been a long time since Altoona (beat up on us) like that. They hit the ball. We scored some runs, but we just couldn’t stop the onslaught.”

Skyler Reed got Altoona on the board with a two-run blast in the bottom of the first. It was part of a frame that featured 11 runs on seven hits.

Jayda Yost also crushed a home run for Altoona later in the inning, which chased Hollidaysburg starter Mikaylah Vincent from the pitcher’s circle.

“We started the season struggling to put the ball in play,” Rumberger said. “We kind of emphasized putting the ball in play and the big hits will come. We got them today.”

From there, it was all a matter of keeping Hollidaysburg out of the run column, although Altoona did score one each in the second and third innings before getting another seven runs to end the game with the mercy rule.

“Even after we had that big first inning, we were really trying to emphasize playing clean defense,” Rumberger said. “We had mistakes here and there, but we were able to keep the momentum going. When you have a game like that, you can celebrate the little things each inning.”

Hollidaysburg finishes the regular season on Monday at home against Philipsburg-Osceola.

Notes: The two teams played in their fourth annual Sideline Cancer game and held a fundraiser. The teams honored the memory of Donald “Peep” Free, who passed away in April after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Free, a 1965 Hollidaysburg graduate, was the grandfather of Altoona junior Sophia Moran.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (5): Hicks cf 322, Peacock 2b 312, Vincent p 200, Chandler 1b 201, Gearhart 3b 200, Barger c 200, Murtiff rf 211, Hammel p 200, Snyder p 000, Mitchell dp 210, Pope (flex) ss 000. Totals — 20-5-6.

ALTOONA (20): Sprankle c 331, Baker ss 422, Reed cf 241, Yost 3b 232, Snyder 1b 421, Schneider p 412, Bettwy lf 120, Austin ph 000, Rowles rf 121, Miller ph 100, Klein 2b 301, Cafin ph 010. Totals — 25-20-11.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Hollidaysburg 1 03 1XX X– 5 6 3

Altoona (11)11 7XX X–20 11 2

2B–Hicks, Schneider 2. HR–Hicks, Yost, Reed, Baker. RBI–Hicks 2, Peacock, Chandler, Sprankle 2, Baker 3, Reed 2, Yost 2, Snyder, Schneider 3, Rowles, Klein 2, Cafin. WP–Schneider. LP–Vincent. SO–Hammel 2, Snyder 1, Schneider 2. BB–Vincent 1, Hammel 7, Snyder 1.

Records: Hollidaysburg (6-13); Altoona (6-12).