KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Geneva College softball team rode the back of freshman Paige Hollinger (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) in the first game of the day on Saturday in Florida, as Hollinger supplied both the pitching and the hitting in a 6-0 shutout of D'Youville College.  Unfortunately, Benedictine University flipped the script in the second game of the day, shutting out Geneva 7-0.  With the split, Geneva's record now stands at 5-7.
 
In the first game against D'Youville, Geneva took advantage of four walks in the first inning to score three runs, with junior April Lude (Canfield, Ohio/Western Reserve) driving in two runs with a single up the middle.  Hollinger added an RBI on a bases loaded walk.  Those runs would be more than enough for Hollinger, who made her second start of the season.
 
Hollinger kept D'Youville in check all game, giving up just two hits through the first five innings.  Freshman Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) drove in another run in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 4-0.  Then Hollinger stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, and her blast cleared the fence in center field for a two-run home run, increasing Geneva's lead to 6-0.
 
Hollinger had to work out of a jam in the seventh to preserve the shutout, and she did just that to give Geneva its first shutout of the season.  She gave up six hits and two walks with one strikeout.  She also finished 1-for-2 at the plate, with a home run and three RBIs.
 
In the second game of the day, Benedictine took an early lead after the Eagles pushed a run across in the first inning, without the aid of a hit.  Despite that run, sophomore starting pitcher Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing) was able to initially keep the high-powered Benedictine offense, which scored 17 runs in its game the day before, in check, not allowing a hit through the first three innings.
 
Geneva had its best chance to score in the third inning.  The Golden Tornadoes had runners at second and third with no outs, when freshman Emma Gilmore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) appeared to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista).  However, after Benedictine appealed, the umpire ruled Gilmore left too early, and she was called out.
 
Benedictine then took control in the bottom of the fourth.  The Eagles broke the game open against Ward, bunching together five hits to score five times in the inning, and Geneva never recovered, eventually losing 7-0.
 
Despite the strong first three innings, Ward's record dropped to 2-3 after giving up six earned runs, as she was not able to make it out of the fourth inning.  Geneva actually outhit Benedictine in the game, 7 to 6, but the Eagles bunched almost all of their hits together in one inning.  Senior Haley Sainato (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a stolen base.

"We played well the first game today," said Assistant Coach Andrew Fee.  "Paige pitched well and helped us offensively.  We are still struggling to get hits in key situations.  It's encouraging that we are getting so many runners on base, and I'm hopeful we will start to execute on the offensive side.  Ultimately, a split is disappointing after winning the first game."
 
Geneva finishes its Florida trip with two games on Monday, starting with a game against Rutgers University-Camden at 9:30 a.m.  The Golden Tornadoes then return home for their home opener next Wednesday, a doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m. against the University of Pitt-Greensburg.


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.