KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team received two strong pitching efforts on Tuesday in Florida, and that work in the circle led to two victories.  Geneva defeated Utica College in game one, 4-1, and followed that up with a 2-1 win over Webster University.  With the two wins, Geneva evened its record on the season to 3-3.

In game one against Utica, Geneva loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, and sophomore Marina Manuppelli (Mars, Pa./Mars) drove home one run with a sacrifice fly, but the Golden Tornadoes were unable to do any further damage.

Freshman Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) made her second start of the season, and she didn't need much help, though.  West pitched around four Geneva errors, not allowing a hit until the final inning. 

Geneva added to its lead with two runs in the third inning.  After a double from freshman Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Co./Mountain Vista) put runners at second and third, both runners scored on a two-out error by Utica's third baseman.  The Golden Tornadoes added one more insurance run in the sixth on an RBI-single with two outs from senior Ericka Hess (Erie, Pa./Iroquois), putting Geneva ahead 4-0.  That would be more than enough runs for West.

Utica finally picked up its first hits after back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the seventh, and the Pioneers converted one of those runners into their only run of the game, but West limited the damage from there and closed out the 4-1 victory.  She picked up her first win of the season, throwing a complete game, giving up just three hits and one run.  Sophomore Madison Schultz (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) went 2-for-3 with a run, while Johnson finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

In game two, sophomore Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing) took the ball and pitched equally as well.  Webster did its only damage in the fourth inning, after a leadoff triple led to a run.

Geneva responded in its half of the fourth inning, with junior April Lude (Canfield, Ohio/Western Reserve) singling home Johnson with two outs to tie the score at 1-1.

The Golden Tornadoes took advantage of a Webster error in the bottom of the sixth to push across the winning run.  Sophomore Marina Manuppelli (Mars, Pa./Mars) drove home senior Haley Sainato (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk), who had reached on an error to lead off the inning, on a sacrifice fly to give the Golden Tornadoes a 2-1 lead, and Ward finished things out in the seventh inning for the win.

Ward pitched all seven innings, giving up five hits and one run for her second win in two days in Florida.  Johnson led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run, pushing her season average up to .500.  Lude finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.

"We got two really good pitching performances today," said Assistant Coach Andrew Fee.  "Both Nikki and Kyleigh Jo pitched really well.  Then we got a few key hits when we needed them to give us enough offense.  We had to battle in both games today, but it's encouraging to get our record back to .500 as we continue on with this week down in Florida."

Geneva is back in action on Wednesday with two games.  The Golden Tornadoes play Simpson College at 9:15 a.m. and Roger Williams University at 1:45 p.m.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.