For the first time this season, the long ball cost the baseball team a victory.

The Lions, playing their first two games of the Atlantic 10 Western Division schedule, gained a split with West Virginia. The Mountaineers won the first game at Hawley Field, 6-2, with the help of two-run homers by Dan Servello and Bill Reep. The Lions came back to win the second game by the same score. The two teams will play another doubleheader today because Saturday's games were postponed.

The Lions got off to their typical slow start in both games. In the first game, the team fell behind 1-0 after the first inning. Starting pitcher Mike McRoberts gave up a single to David DeMoss. A walk to Ravi Shibley put DeMoss on second, where Mark Landers doubled him home.

The fourth inning, though, is what hurt the team. Reep lead-off with a single, and went to second on a wild-pitch. Mike Moore singled Reep to third, where another wild-pitch scored him. Servello then delivered his big blow with a two-run homer.

"The long ball in the first game hurt us," Coach Joe Hindelang said. "West Virginia had some real timely hitting."

Conversely, the Lions missed their chances. Although they had runners in scoring position often, the key hitters hit into inning-ending double plays.

"We had a number of base runners, but just couldn't get the key hit," Hindelang said.

The Lions cut the Mountaineer lead in half in the fifth. Scott Biesecker walked and then stole second. Kody Barto walked, and Chris Buzzi doubled in Biesecker. Barto later scored on a single by Russ Mushinsky, who went 2-for-3 in the game.

The Mountaineers put the game out of reach in thier half of the fifth, as Reep hit his homer that also scored Landers.

McRoberts (0-1) took the loss, as he went 4 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and five runs. Mike Sube (3-2) went 5 1/3 to get the win.

Hindelang said, "We were in the game right to the end."

The Mountaineers once again took the lead in the second game, scoring two runs. The Lions have now been outscored 26-8 in the first inning.

Penn State, though, came up with big innings in the fourth and fifth. In the fourth, Travis Crayosky hit a two-run homer with Dave Hall on base.

In the fifth, the Lions scored three runs. The big hit was Buzzi's two-run single with the bases loaded.

Jeff Burris (1-1) picked up his first win of the season, and Gary Miller made his second relief appearance of the season. Miller, trying to work his way back from an injury, pitched two scoreless innings.

"We played real good defense in the second game," Hindelang said. "If we could have two pitches back, we could have come away with both wins."

The Lions are now 6-10 and 1-1 in the division. Today, sophomore right-hander John Maggiore will start the first game. Hindelang was undecided who would work the second game.

Hindelang is expecting two more tough games today.

"They are a well-coached team," he said. "I can see why they have done so well in the Atlantic 10."