FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Geneva College baseball team took on North Park University on Saturday morning in Florida, and after taking an early lead, the Golden Tornadoes could not control the North Park offense, losing 14-4.  North Park improved to 7-5, while Geneva fell to 4-3.

After giving up a run in the top of the first inning, Geneva's offense responded by scoring twice in the bottom of the inning, as sophomore Dylan O'Rourke (Hutchinson, Pa./Yough) drove in a run on an RBI-groundout, and then O'Rourke came around to score on an error after a single from sophomore Dillon Bickerton (Salem, Ohio/Salem).

Unfortunately, junior starting pitcher Josh Grant (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler) could not keep the North Park offense in check.  The Vikings scored three runs in the top of the second, helped by two walks and a hit batter, and North Park would never trail again.

The Vikings added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth against Grant to take a 7-2 lead.  North Park then blew the game open with six runs in the top of the sixth against the Geneva bullpen, and the Vikings cruised from there to the 14-4 win.

Grant took the loss to move his record to 0-2 on the season.  He pitched five innings and gave up eight hits, four walks, and seven runs.  Senior Mark Overmier (Crofton, Md./Mount St. Joseph) reached base three out of four times, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Freshman Alex Fee (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) came on as a sub later in the game and went 2-for-2 with a double.

"We faced a very good team today and didn't play very well," said Head Coach Alan Sumner.  "You can't afford to make mistakes against teams like North Park and expect to win."

Geneva plays its final game in Florida on Monday, taking on Messiah College at 10:00 a.m.  The Golden Tornadoes will then return home in preparation for opening Presidents' Athletic Conference play against Waynesburg.  Geneva travels to Waynesburg on Friday for a single game, and then hosts the Yellow Jackets for two games next Saturday, starting at 1:00 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.