ALTOONA, Pa. – Matt Bittner crushed his team-leading fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning to give the Penn State Behrend baseball program the edge over  La Roche, 13-10 in game one of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship Series, Thursday.

The Redhawks (26-13) gave the Lions (24-10), who are now on an eight game win streak, their last pair of losses back on April 23. Behrend redeemed themselves in nine innings by batting a team average of .455 (20-44). The blue and white were led by Bittner and Blake Pavlik who each went 4-for-5 from the plate.

The Lions tallied five runs on five hits in the fourth inning to take a commanding lead. A Harry Latta single spurred the offensive production. Latta scored the first run of the inning after a wild pitch. An RBI single by Geoff Lang was followed by a two out, three-run homer by Bittner, 7-0.

La Roche responded on their ensuing appearance, recording three runs on four hits, 7-3.

Behrend was able to increase the gap again thanks to Lang's AMCC and school record, ninth triple of the season. Tied third in Division III for triples, Lang collected three bags and set up for Bittner's fourth RBI of the day and gave the Lions a 10-6 advantage in the bottom of the seventh en route to a 13-10 win.

Ryan Zamiskie picked up his eighth win on the season after going 6.0 innings, giving up nine hits, eight runs (six earned) and walking five batters, while striking out four. Jay Condit earned the save by protecting the three run lead only allowing two hits and two runs while sitting down three batters.

Friday, the Lions will face the winner of the Medaille/Penn State Altoona series at 10 a.m. Behrend needs two wins to earn the title and have the possibility to make it four in a row.