CLERMONT, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team's last day in Florida ended as a dud, with the Golden Tornadoes getting swept in their final two games. In the first game, Geneva lost an early lead and fell to Rutgers University-Camden, 6-4. In the second game against St. Lawrence University, the Golden Tornadoes lost, 9-2. Geneva's record is now 5-9.
In the first game of the day, Geneva scored three times in the first inning to take an early 3-0 lead. Freshman
Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) had an RBI-double in the inning.
Rutgers-Camden answered in its half of the first with two runs, and then the Raptors took the lead in the bottom of the third with two unearned runs, making it 4-3.
In the top of the sixth, junior
April Lude (Canfield, Ohio/Western Reserve) led off with a double, but she was stranded on the bases, and in the bottom of the inning, Rutgers-Camden scored two more unearned runs, giving the Raptors a 6-3 lead heading into the final inning.
West drove in another run in the top of the seventh with an RBI-triple, but that was all Geneva would get, losing 6-4.
West went the distance in the circle, giving up six hits and six runs, though just two were earned, dropping her record to 1-4. She also struck out three batters. At the plate, West went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, one run and two RBIs.
In the second game against St. Lawrence, things fell apart in the bottom of the second inning. The Saints scored six times against sophomore starting pitcher
Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing).
Geneva scored single runs in the top of the third and fourth innings, but a run by St. Lawrence in the third and two more in the fifth gave the Saints a 9-2 lead, and that's where the final score finished.
Ward took the loss, giving up seven hits and seven runs in three innings. Her record dropped to 2-4 on the season. Freshman
Paige Hollinger (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) collected two hits in the game, while West and sophomore
Madison Schultz (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
"Today was a huge disappointment," said Head Coach
Van Zanic. "We aren't nearly where we need to be right now. If we have a desire to be a playoff team, then we need to get better in every area."
The Golden Tornadoes fly home tonight and will have their home-opener on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Pitt-Greensburg starting at 3:30 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.
