CLERMONT, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team came into Wednesday's doubleheader in Florida riding a three-game winning streak, but the day proved to be one to forget for the Golden Tornadoes.  Things started poorly, with a 3-1 loss to Simpson College, and then in the second game of the day Geneva blew a lead in the final inning against Roger Williams University, falling 10-6.  Geneva's record now stands at 3-5.

In the first inning of the game with Simpson, the Storm loaded the bases with just one out against freshman starting pitcher Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh), but West was able to get out of the jam without allowing any runs.  However, Simpson broke through for a run in the second inning, giving the Storm an early 1-0 lead.

Geneva's bats were quiet against Simpson starting pitcher Emily Bell, as Geneva did not get a hit through the first five innings.  Simpson extended its lead to 3-0 in the fourth on a two-run homer.

West finally picked up Geneva's first hit of the game leading off the sixth inning, a blast that cleared the left field fence for Geneva's first home run of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes got two more base runners in the inning, but they couldn't plate any more runs.

Geneva looked poised for a late inning rally when it started the top of the seventh by loading the bases with no outs.  Unfortunately, Geneva could not do any more damage, ending the game with a pop-up, a foul out, and a strikeout.

West pitched the complete game, allowing five hits, five walks and three earned runs while striking out two.  She accounted for Geneva's only run on offense with her home run.

The second game started poorly as well for Geneva, with Roger Williams scoring three times in the second inning off sophomore starting pitcher Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing).  After Ward got into further trouble in the third inning, Head Coach Van Zanic brought in sophomore Vanessa Templeton (Middlebourne, W.Va./Tyler Consolidated), and she gave the Golden Tornadoes some relief, keeping the Hawks' offense at bay.

Geneva appeared to turn things around from there.  Senior Haley Sainato (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) drove in a run in the third inning, and then the Golden Tornadoes took the lead, 4-3, with three runs in the fifth.  Templeton and freshman Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Co./Mountain Vista) had big two-out singles to drive in runs.

Roger Williams scored a run to tie things in the top of the sixth on a Geneva error, but the Golden Tornadoes responded with two runs as Sainato and Johnson both scored, giving Geneva a 6-4 lead heading into the final inning.

Unfortunately, the momentum didn't last.  Zanic turned to West to close out the game, and things fell apart for the Golden Tornadoes, aided by two errors along the way.  Roger Williams scored six times, four of them unearned, before Geneva finally got the third out.  The stunned Golden Tornadoes went quickly in the bottom of the inning, losing 10-6.

Templeton pitched solidly in relief, going 2.2 innings and giving up just one hit.  Sainato led the offense, going 2-for-2 with two walks, three steals, one run and one RBI. 

"This was obviously a tough day for us," said Assistant Coach Andrew Fee.  "We need to get better at all aspects of the game to beat the talented teams we are facing.  It starts with throwing strikes, making routine defensive plays and having good at-bats.  I know this team has the ability to do those things.  We are looking forward to a much needed day off tomorrow and then coming back strong on Friday."

Geneva is off on Thursday and will return to action on Friday for two games, starting with Mount St. Joseph 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.